Haunting a Ghost
by GHOST oo007
Summary: First Fanfic! Takes place after the MW2 comic featuring Ghost and runs before and into the MW2 game -and yes I plan to switch up the storyline to MW2- PLEASE REVIEW!
1. Chapter 1

LT. Simon "Ghost" Riley

Cpt. John "Soap" McTavish

Somewhere in Russia

"Ghost! Target at two o' clock!" Soap's voice rang out.

Ghost whipped slightly to the right and took the man out with one bullet.

"He's down," Ghost replied into his headset.

Ghost and Soap had been ordered by Shephard to retrieve an Intel hidden somewhere in this Russian base. It was suppose to be a stealth mission, just a simple grab and go, but somehow the Russian soldiers knew they were coming and had ambushed them as soon as they had the Intel in their hands. Ghost ducked down as a bullet flew past his head narrowly missing him. The Intel was believed by Shephard to contain information on an upcoming terrorist attack, probably being led by Malkorav, the newest terrorist threat to the US government, so he left it to the Task Force to get a hold of it.

"Tavish! Where's the bloody chopper?!" Ghost yelled into his headset as he shot of a few more rounds to keep the enemy suppressed.

"Shephard says it'll be another twenty minutes before it arrives!" the Captain responded.

"Bullocks!" Ghost yelled as he took out another Russian soldier that dared to get too close to the overturned jeep he and Soap took cover behind, "There's no way we'll last that long, in twenty minutes we'll be overwhelmed!"

"Aye mate," Soap answered from beside his comrade, "But we don't have a choice. We need to move to the LZ just outside the base come on!"

Ghost tossed a smoke grenade as he and Soap dashed from cover and sprinted out of the base. Bullets flew by them thudding into the snowy ground and striking against nearby rocks. Soap ran slightly in front of Ghost at an even pace until suddenly there was a whistle, a ripping sound, and a grunt from Soap as he instantly reached for his arm.

"Are you alright?!" Ghost called over the sound of gunfire, his voice filled with worry.

"A bullet nicked me, I'll be fine, just keep going, we'll take cover behind that circle of rocks there until the chopper arrives!"

"Copy that, I'm right behind you!" Ghost called.

The two men leaped head first behind the rocks as more bullets flew over head. Ghost rose to his knees and tossed a stun grenade. He quickly raised his gun and took out three Russian soldiers who were a bit faster than the rest. The others, seeing their comrades fall, took shelter behind other rocks and laid in the snow to make themselves a more difficult target. Ghost sat beside Soap with his back to the rocks and reloaded his SCAR-H. Soap twisted his arm to get a better look at the wound. It was a shallow cut but it still needed stitching. Steam puffed out of where Ghost's mouth was from behind his mask as he tried to catch his breath. He turned his attention to his Captain as the gunfire died down. His eyes, hidden by the sunglasses covering them, surveyed his captain's wound for a moment to make sure it wasn't anything serious. When he was satisfied it wasn't anything to stress over he sighed and laid his head back on the large boulder his back was rested against.

"They have us pinned." He said in a calm voice.

Soap looked up at him and sighed, then turned and stared blankly in front of him.

"I still can't figure out how they knew we were coming." Soap said as he reached for his M14 laying beside him in the snow.

Ghost shook his head and glanced back over the rocks, "I hear ya mate, we didn't kill a single guard or alert them in any way, it doesn't quite add up."

"We'll worry about it later, let's focus on staying live." Soap glanced at his watch. "Five minutes, I'm popping smoke. Cover me."

Ghost nodded and crouched, he tensed his muscles so he could spring up. As soon as Soap rose to get a good throw Ghost rose as well and sprayed bullets at the enemy. They blindly fired back missing their target completely. A shine and a movement caught Ghost's eye. He glanced up at the top of a ridge and saw a Russian lift an RPG and take aim at Soap.

"Soap! RPG! Cover!" Ghost yelled.

The missile launched heading straight for Soap but he couldn't get out of the RPG's range fast enough. Ghost launched himself at Soap throwing them both to the ground as snow and rocks exploded around them. When the smoke settled Soap coughed and crawled out of the debris covering him. He turned to lie on his back and placed a hand to his head feeling warmth spread around the side of his head. When he pulled his hand back his glove was covered in blood. He coughed again and slowly sat up scanning the area for Ghost.

"Ghost? Ghost! Are you alright mate?"

No answer.

Cursing silently to himself Soap dug around the snow looking for his comrade.

"Ghost come on answer me! Where are you?"

Soap's heart started to fill with dread as seconds turned into minutes and he still failed to find his friend. A groan behind him caught his attention and he whipped around to see Ghost struggling to rise to his hands and knees. The left side of his jacket was ripped up and covered in blood. Soap crawled to the younger man's side and placed a gentle but firm hand on his shoulder.

"Stay down, let me take a look." He said as he pulled Ghost's shoulder and slowly turned the younger man until he lay on his back. Soap gently pulled the ripped edges of Ghost's jacket open to get a better look at the injury. The explosion had severely burned Ghost's side and there were bits of debris from the RPG missile stuck deep in the wound. Ghost groaned again and let out a shaky breath.

"Easy Ghost, your gonna be alright." Soap told him.

Ghost gave another awkward breath and Soap quickly reached for the base of Ghost's mask. Soap had only seen his comrade's face a few several times in the year he had known him and fought by his side and it felt wrong to unmask Ghost, but the wound was severe and he needed the air to get to his lungs as easy as possible. Soap slid Ghost's sunglasses off revealing his shut eyes and his eyebrows creased in pain, he then pulled Ghost's mask up and off. Ghost had a handsome strong face the only thing obscuring his features was a nine inch scar that ran from beside his right eye down the right side of his face and neck almost to his shoulder. Soap remembered the story of how Ghost had obtained the scar all too well and it made him understand why Ghost always wore the mask. Ghost had explained that he wore the mask to hide it from himself, not anyone else. He told Soap how every time he saw the scar it brought back the memories that his mind refused to repress, horrible memories of torture and death. Soap shivered at the thought of what his comrade had been through. He was the only member of the Task Force that knew Ghost's past, and it wasn't a pretty one.

"Tavish?" Ghost whispered weakly.

Soap grasped his friend's shoulder to reassure him.

"I'm here mate. Hang in there." Soap said as he reached for his headset with his other hand.

"Shephard this is Soap, do you copy."

"Shephard here, what's your situation Captain."

"We need that bird asap. Ghost is down, I repeat Ghost is down. He's been severely wounded by an RPG and needs medical attention."

"There's been a delay on your evac chopper Captain, it will be about thirty more minutes until it reaches you."

"Thirty minutes?!" Soap exclaimed," Shephard we don't have time, the Russians have us pinned down and Ghost will bleed out if he doesn't get help!"

"There's nothing I can do. Hold your position until the chopper arrives and patch Ghost up the best you can, he's just going to have to hang in there. Shephard out."

"Shephard! Shephard!!"

Soap punched the ground angrily but then ducked down as a bullet flew overhead. The Russians were starting to move in. Soap crouched protectively over Ghost as bullets pounded into the snow dangerously near them. Some bullets ricocheted off the rocks and boulders that served as their cover. Soap grabbed a smoke grenade from his belt and blindly tossed it towards the direction of the gunfire. When he heard the hiss of smoke, he reached for the Intervention strapped to his back. Soap rose slightly and aimed through the thermal scope attached to the sniper. There were five soldiers coming slowly towards them, cautious and blind because of the smoke. Blood sprayed as Soap shot the nearest man in the head and sent his body flying backwards. The other four shot in Soap's direction forcing him to duck back down. Soap reached for one of Ghost's semtex grenades and threw it towards their hostile enemies. He was pleased to hear an explosion and screams of pain. As the gunfire died down once again Soap turned his attention to Ghost. His comrade wasn't moving.

"Ghost!" Soap called as he firmly shook the younger man.

Ghost weakly opened his eyes half way and looked up at his captain. A bit of blood was appearing in the corner of his mouth and his breathing was growing shallower. A cold breeze stirred up snow and smoke and Ghost shivered visibly. His heart slowing down was causing less blood flow making hypothermia become more of a threat. Ghost needed help and fast.

"Ghost you hang in there you hear me. Don't you dare die on me," Soap said desperately.

Ghost gave his captain a weak smile.

"Understood…" he whispered as his eyelids flickered.

"Focus on me. Just keep your eyes open, help will be here soon."

Soap gazed at his watch. Twenty more minutes. Twenty more fuckin minutes. There was a small pool of blood forming at Ghost's side. Another breeze whipped through and Ghost exhaled shakily. Soap was doing his best to the shield Ghost from the wind while defending their position. His mind raced as more and more smoke began to ebb away with the wind. He knew that when the smoke was gone the Russians would begin moving in again. Soap heard a loud whistle and threw himself on top of Ghost as the ground exploded three feet from their position. Soap cursed to himself. The son of a bitch that had wounded Ghost and nearly killed him was still alive. Soap eyed the trail of smoke that led up to the top of a ridge. He saw a soldier up there in clear view kneeling down in the snow loading another RPG missile. RPGs weren't very accurate, but it only took one good shot to destroy them. Soap aimed up at the ridge with his Intervention and at the same time the man raised the RPG for another shot, Soap put a bullet between his eyes. A sudden sharp pain in Soap's right shoulder caused him to drop his gun and fall to the ground beside Ghost. He moaned and gazed at his blood soaked shoulder. It had been a clean shot, seems the sniper wasn't shooting to kill or he just had bad aim. Soap's heart filled with hope as he heard the distant sound of a helicopter. Finally the evac chopper was there! He gritted his teeth in pain as he rolled to his side to face Ghost.

"They're here mate. Just hang in there a little longer we'll be out of here soon."

Ghost tried to answer but he found himself unable to speak and unable to move. His body felt cold and he suddenly felt an extreme fatigue flow throughout his limbs. All he wanted to do was sleep.

"Ghost?"

He heard McTavish's worried voice say his name but it sounded so distant, like an echo.

"Ghost!"

Ghost thought about his mother. He thought about his brother and his sister-in-law. He thought about his five year old nephew. What he would give to see them again, to be with them. To be with his family and to be happy again, that was what he treasured most, what he wanted most, more than anything.

"Ghost! Stay with me!" the echo called.

"Simon…" a new voice whispered. This voice was closer, whispering in his ear it seemed, and Ghost recognized it instantly.

"Mum?" Ghost thought to himself. Was he losing it?

"Go back dear…it's not your time…"

"Mum!" Ghost screamed in his head.

He was desperate to have her there, to simply just see her face. But her whispers vanished slowly as though being carried away by the wind and blackness overtook Ghost, leaving him unconscious and knowing nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

Lt Simon "Ghost" Riley

Task Force 141 Camp Base

Ghost slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the intense throbbing in his side. Every time he took a breath a severe soreness flooded his body. The second thing Ghost noticed was that he was in the medical tent at the 141's base. It was a nice change of scenery after the attack at the Russian base earlier…or was it a long time ago? Ghost couldn't really guess on how long he had been unconscious. He wondered if McTavish was okay. He vaguely remembered seeing his captain get shot in the shoulder and falling to the ground beside him. Had Mctavish made it out safely? Ghost began to feel a bit panicky and struggled to rise from the small cot he was laying in. The heart monitor he was attached to began to beep obnoxiously. Ghost grabbed the cables stuck to his chest and ripped them off, then reached for the monitor, that now indicated he had flat lined, and flipped the switch to silence it. Ghost looked down at his left side which was entirely covered with a large bandage. He was kind of glad of that, he wasn't sure if he wanted to see the damage done to him from the RPG. A figure rushed into the tent and stopped dead at the sight of Ghost sitting up in his bed.

"What the hell is wrong with you, lay back down!"

Ghost looked up and smiled at the man.

"It's nice to see you to Roach."

Roach rolled his eyes and came to Ghost's side.

"You were nearly dead a day ago, you need to lie back down and get some rest."

Ghost's smile faded.

"A day? How long have I been out?"

Roach reached for his canteen and handed it to his friend.

"You've been in and out of consciousness for two days now. You scared the shit out of all of us." Roach replied as he watched Ghost take a long drink. Ghost exhaled slowly so his side wouldn't hurt as bad. He looked down at the floor and rubbed his forehead.

"Two days?" he said to himself. How bad had the injury been?

"Yeah, now lay your ass down before I make you."

Ghost sighed and slowly complied.

"You suddenly grew a pair didn't you? I liked you better when you were quiet mate."

Roach smiled as he took the canteen from Ghost and sat it on a small table within Ghost's reach.

"I'll let McTavish and the others know that your feelin a bit better, now get some rest, your still far from healed."

"Tavish? Is he alright?" Ghost asked at the mention of the Captain.

Roach nodded.

"Yeah he's fine. He's just worried about you. He told us what happened out there, that you saved him from being blown to pieces by an RPG."

"Yea well couldn't let him go out like that." Ghost replied.

Roach smiled at his friend and patted his shoulder.

"It's good to have you back Ghost. This place has been empty without you and your sarcastic ass messing with everybody."

Ghost chuckled at that, but his laughter turned into a slight groan as a sharp pain shot through his body.

"You alright?" Roach asked, worry clear on his face.

"Yea yea I'm fine mate, just a little sore."

"That's a big improvement seeing as how you were at death's door a couple days ago. We nearly lost you several times."

Suddenly Ghost remembered how he heard his mother's voice moments before he had blacked out. _Simon… Go back dear…it's not your time… _Ghost felt emotion well up inside of him as memories flooded back into his mind of that terrible night three years ago. The night he would never forget no matter how hard he tried to. The night he lost a piece of himself.

"Ghost?" Roach said softly seeing his comrade's expression change. "You ok?"

Ghost looked up at his friend trying to fight the tears in his eyes.

"Yea I'm fine…" Ghost said softly.

Roach watched as Ghost turned his attention back to the roof of the tent again, his thoughts drifting to something incomprehensible. After a moment, Roach silently turned and left the tent leaving Ghost alone to think about the darkness of his past.

Ghost had hardly heard his comrade leave. He was too busy remembering, and God how he hated remembering. He remembered rushing back to the apartment and seeing the bodies of his family lying in puddles of their own blood, the blinking lights on the Christmas tree dancing across the walls of what was once the place he called home. The one place that had brought him happiness. Ghost shuddered. That night was the closest he had come to suicide. Ghost remembered how his mind seemed to snap that night. How he couldn't keep from laughing out hysterically and how that scared the shit out of him. Ghost had been sure at that moment he was insane. How the torture he endured from- _no_. Ghost shook his head to clear his thoughts. He couldn't think about that now or he really would lose it. The last time he had relived his past was when he told his story to Soap. Soap was the one person Ghost trusted enough to know about him, to know what he'd been through. After being betrayed and screwed over by past comrades, it was difficult for Ghost to let someone in, but the feelings and torturous memories he kept hidden inside was so overwhelming he had to share it with someone. Ghost sighed as he struggled to keep his mind clear of any thought. He had managed to refrain from remembering anything about his horrid past until he came so close to death two days ago. Until he heard his mother's voice. Ghost began massaging his temples.

_Stop doing this to yourself_, he thought, _just stop thinking_. But it wasn't that simple and Ghost knew it. These memories weren't so much as a thought but a feeling. A part of him. That's probably why he couldn't forget no matter how hard he tried, no matter what medication he took. He always remembered down to the most meticulous detail. Of not just the night his family was slaughtered but of the four months he was tortured and nearly turned into a- _there ya go again,_ Ghost thought, mentally slapping himself. Ghost cleared his mind again and took a deep breath. Slowly, he turned and reached for the canteen of water Roach had left him. He took a small drink savoring the feeling of the cold liquid running down his throat and then poured the remaining water onto his face. The droplets of water ran down his features carrying the sweat and stress of his thoughts with it, and he relaxed instantly and closed his eyes. Ghost released his grip on the canteen and listened with some sort of strange satisfaction as it thudded onto the dirt below him. With one last sigh, Ghost let the underlying fatigue of his body take over and draw him into a deep sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Ghost coughed and rubbed his forehead as he slowly opened his eyes. He instantly sat bolt upright as he realized he was no longer lying in a cot in the medical tent, but on the floor of his mother's room in her apartment. His breathing became more hectic as his eyes darted around the empty darkness. Ghost rose to his feet and looked down at his bare chest noticing that the bandages had disappeared as well as the wounds themselves. But that was the least of his concerns at the moment. Utter confusion and a deep fear clouded Ghost's mind until he couldn't think or begin to comprehend what was happening. His eyes slowly began to adjust to the shadows and he urged his legs to move. Ghost looked around the dark room making out his mother's neat made up bed, and the wooden dresser beside it. Ghost remembered how he kept a 9 mm. handgun hidden in the top drawer for his mother's protection. Feeling a bit more confident, he made his way to the dresser and whipped the drawer open only to find it, to his dismay, empty. A groan coming from a different room causing Ghost to whip around and instinctively reach for where his sidearm always rested on his left hip. He cursed as he realized it wasn't there. Ghost slowly made his way to the door of his mother's room as another groan came from where he believed the living room was. He grasped the door handle and gently twisted. Taking a deep breath, Ghost cracked the door and gazed through with one eye. Multi colored lights bounced off the walls and furniture and Ghost gasped as he spotted the Christmas tree in the corner of the living room. He opened the door wider when he saw a dark figure hunched over in the rocking chair beside the tree. Ghost took a step forward, straining his eyes to see through the dark, the lights from the tree doing little to pierce the gloom. A growing dread filled his heart. Something was very wrong, and Ghost had the intense desire to escape, to leave the darkness and get somewhere with light. Not taking his eyes of the figure in the chair, Ghost reached for the light switch on the wall beside him and flipped it. The lights didn't come on and that only made the anxiety grow further. Ghost looked up at the lights hanging from the ceiling for a moment but instantly looked back at the figure as it began to leisurely rock back and forth in the rocking chair.

"Who's there?" Ghost asked quietly, afraid to break the intense silence that clouded the room.

The figure didn't answer nor did it acknowledge Ghost's presence. It just continued to rock back and forth, its head hanging down as if staring at nothing.

"I said who's there?" Ghost alleged once more raising his voice.

Again, the figure was unresponsive. Ghost took a few more steps, naturally cautious. The panicky feeling in his chest was building more and more and he felt like he was about to lose his mind. Finally Ghost halted as he recognized the shine of that silver hair in the light from the tree.

"…Mum?" he said softly.

The figure stopped rocking. It was deathly quiet. All Ghost could hear was the sound of his own shaky breathing, and it seemed intensely loud.

"Mum is that you?" Ghost asked as he closed the gap between them and reached out to her. With a ferocious jerk, her head looked up at him. A breath and a scream caught in Ghost's throat as he stumbled backwards tripping over some unseen object and crashed to the floor. The skin on his mother's face was nearly completely decayed, the eye sockets empty and the jaw slack. Maggots could clearly be seen wriggling inside her mouth and crawling out of holes in her flesh. Ghost was frozen in terror and he couldn't find the strength to move any part of his body. Suddenly a bright light filled the living room as the front door to the apartment opened. Ghost turned to the silhouette standing in the doorway. The figure slowly lifted a pistol he was holding and aimed it at Ghost.

"Die English."

"No!" Ghost cried out as the gun went off in a burst of even brighter light.

"No!" Ghost cried out as he came awake in his cot. He flailed his arms at the figure leaning above him and strong hands caught his wrists immobilizing him.

"Whoa! Easy mate it's me."

The voice seemed to bring Ghost to his senses and he gazed around gasping for breath as he began to realize where he was. His eyes rested on his Captain who was standing above him still holding his wrists in a vice like grip.

"Soap?" Ghost whispered still slightly confused.

"Yea it's me," Soap answered softly as he released the Lieutenant, "you alright?"

Ghost slowly sat up, wincing at the pain in his side. Soap watched Ghost concerned as the younger man looked down at the wound shocked, as if he'd forgotten it was there.

"Talk to me Ghost."

Ghost placed a shaking hand to his head to wipe away the sweat that was beading up on his forehead. The overwhelming feeling of anxiety was still pulsing throughout his body. Ghost needed to move, to walk around, anything. What he wanted more than anything was a breath of fresh air so he could calm his shaking nerves. Without answering Soap, Ghost rose to his feet, slid by his captain who watched him with growing worry, and shakily made his way to the entrance of the tent. Ghost reached out and grasped a pole holding the tent up for support and pushed the tent flap open with his free hand. Ghost closed his eyes and sighed as a cool breezed swept into the tent and grazed his face. He lowered his head as he heard the footsteps approaching him from behind. Ghost couldn't help but flinch as Soap rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Ghost, what the bloody hell happened to you?"

Ghost shook his head as he grasped the pole tighter.

"It was just a dream…" he whispered.

"No it wasn't." Soap replied as he walked around Ghost to come face to face with him. He gazed at Ghost for a moment, taking in the horrified look in his eyes and the shaking that still hadn't stopped.

"It was more than just a dream Ghost," Soap said, "The nightmares you told me about…they've started up again haven't they?"

Ghost looked up at his Captain again and tried to swallow to quench his throat but his mouth was dried up. Ghost couldn't help but remember the face of his mother from his dream. When the image returned Ghost felt his legs grow weak and he leaned more heavily on the pole, turned away from Soap and dry heaved. There was nothing in his stomach and he felt completely dehydrated and Ghost was actually glad for that, he hated throwing up. Soap instantly reached out and steadied him.

"Come on mate, let's get you back to the bed."

Soap grabbed Ghost's arm and pulled it over his shoulders to lift him up. Ghost leaned heavily on him closing his eyes and trying to control the dizziness that spun his head. As Soap step by step ushered Ghost back to the cot he thought back to how Ghost was forced to take drugs to withdraw the nightmares he was suffering from. Because of the drugs he was taking he wasn't fit to serve in the SAS and without them he suffered terribly. Ghost had slowly recovered on his own and it took him a good six months before he could join the ranks again. What if Ghost was having some sort of relapse? When they got back to the cot, Ghost, with the help of Soap, sat down and placed his head in his hands. Soap watched him quietly, feeling irritated with himself for not being able to help Ghost with his inner demons.

"Yes the nightmares have come back…" Ghost said after a moment. Soap nodded slowly in understanding, "I need to get my mind on something else, that's the only way that it will stop…"

Soap turned his head away for a moment in thought and looked back down at Ghost.

"Your still hurt pretty bad mate. You need to stay in bed for a few days or else you'll only make your injuries worse."

Ghost dropped his hands and shook his head, "I can't stay in this tent Soap, I'll lose my bloody mind before too long."

Soap sighed, "Alright, first you need to get some food in your stomach. We'll grab dinner with the rest of the boys and if your feeling up to it, you can come with me to the briefing with Shephard afterwards."

"Briefing? A new mission already?"

"Aye mate. Seems the intel we retrieved was useless, it didn't contain any useful information on the whereabouts of any terrorist attack so Shephard wants us to try another base in Kazakhstan."

"Great. So we were nearly killed for no bloody reason." Ghost said throwing his hands up.

A smirk formed on Soap's lips.

"Seems so. You look like your feeling a bit better."

Ghost looked down at his hands. They had stopped shaking and the dizziness had faded. As if on queue, his stomach growled loudly and Ghost nodded.

"Yea…so how bout dinner?"

Soap's smirk formed into a smile and he offered Ghost a hand to help him up.


	4. Chapter 4

When Ghost and Soap entered the dining hall the entire Task Force 141 ceased their conversation and looked up at the Captain and Lieutenant. Silently Soap and Ghost moved to their rightful seats at a back table. Ghost noticed the confused stares he received and realized that only Soap and Roach had ever gotten a good look at his face, and only a few others had so much as glimpsed him without his mask. He suddenly wished he had it on, just to avoid the awkward looks thrown his way.

"Dude, who is that?" Worm whispered to Roach who was seated next to him.

Ghost pinpointed the voice and turned to Roach and Worm who were seated at a small table with Chemo and Meat. Ghost smiled at Roach.

"Aye mate, how's it goin?"

Worm's face went from puzzled to awe as he and the others recognized Ghost's smooth accented voice instantly.

Roach returned the smile.

"You look a lot better Ghost. How are you feeling?"

"Well at the moment I feel like I'm going to bloody starve, but other than that I'm just peachy mate," Ghost replied.

Ghost could feel several pairs of eyes gazing at the scar running down the side of his face but he ignored it and continued walking to the small table where Soap was already seated waiting for him. Two plates of food were brought to the table by a couple of volunteers that helped out around the 141's temporary base as Ghost pulled a seat across the table from his captain. Soap watched Ghost's movements carefully as he slowly sat in the chair, wincing as he did it. Ghost still had a lot of healing to do. Soap sighed and stared blankly at the rest of the Task Force, eating and chatting away among themselves, some still discussing the shock of seeing Ghost up and about _and_ without his infamous mask on.

"There were pieces of metal," Soap said suddenly, "from the RPG, that had been buried deep in your side. The pieces of metal were so hot that they burned the muscle and tissue and caused some pretty intense internal bleeding, that's why you were almost killed…"

Ghost had been gazing hungrily at the steak and potatoes sitting in front of him, but Soap's words caused him to look up at his captain perplexed.

"Sir, I'm fine." Ghost replied still wondering how the topic of his near death came up.

Soap's dark eyes landed on Ghost.

"Your healing well, but that's not what I'm concerned about Ghost. Your near death experience has somehow brought back the memories you've kept hidden in the depths of your mind for so long. I know your past Ghost, all too well, and I know the torture you endured in Mexico would break most people and drive the rest out of their minds, but somehow you survived it and came out alive but not without some psychological and emotional scars."

"What's your point?" Ghost asked as he cut into his steak.

"My point is that these memories that you've tried so hard to repress have resurfaced and I can see its affecting you," Soap alleged, "Ghost…you're my right hand man, and one of the most valuable men I have on the 141…"

Ghost stopped cutting and looked up at Mctavish again.

"I saw your face when you were asleep, and when you woke up you looked utterly terrified. These nightmares have returned and they aren't just going to go away," Soap lifted his cup of water and took a deep drink. He sighed as he lowered the cup again and turned it in his hands, "I can't let you go out in the field again until your physically and emotionally stable."

Ghost looked back down at his steak and finished cutting the piece, then took the bite closing his eyes and savoring the taste as he chewed. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten. When he opened his eyes again Soap was watching him expectantly.

"There's no need to be concerned," Ghost told him, "I can handle it. I've been through it all before, eventually the nightmares will stop…"

"You sound unsure," Soap pointed out.

Ghost began sawing into his steak again.

"Once your entire family is slaughtered by someone you thought you could trust, your never sure about anything anymore…" Ghost said softly.

Soap's eyes softened instantly at those words and he wished there was something he could do or say to comfort his friend. He hated seeing Ghost like this, he seemed so depressed and tired, with a constant faraway look in his eyes. Ghost had still neglected to tell Soap about his dream, but Soap let it go for now. He needed to help his comrade keep his mind on other things, and maybe with some luck, Ghost wouldn't have some sort of mental break down and things could go back to the way they were. The two finished their dinner without speaking another word and headed to the main tent for Shephard's briefing. Shephard was standing in front of the tent speaking to a man neither Soap nor Ghost recognized. As the two approached Shephard nodded to the man and he left and then the General turned to them.

"Ghost," he said after a moment of trying to figure out who the hell the man was, "it's good to see you back on your feet son."

The Captain and Lieutenant halted in front of Shephard and Ghost smirked at him.

"I'm not goin down that easy sir."

Shephard couldn't help but return the smirk and then motioned with his head to the tent.

"Alright men, let's get inside, we have a bit to talk about."

Ghost and Soap nodded then followed the General inside. Shephard went straight to a large table where a 10ft map of the world was stretched out. Shephard placed a finger on the map and Soap and Ghost bent over the table to get a look.

"This is where your headed, Ekibustaz in northeastern Kazakhstan. There's a military base that was once a labor camp back in the 1920's. That's where the intel is being kept."

"So the exact location of the intel within the camp isn't known." Soap stated.

"We have an idea of where it may be, but no, we aren't exactly sure where it is."

"But your sure it contains the information we need this time?" Ghost asked, almost angrily.

Shephard looked up at Ghost catching his tone, but he seemed to dismiss it after first spotting the outline of bandages under the tight black t-shirt Ghost had slipped on earlier.

"Outside sources have confirmed that this intel contains information about a planned terrorist attack." Shephard said.

Ghost sighed and looked over at Soap.

"When do we leave?" Soap asked.

"I want you and one other to set out in two days. I'll give you the details on evac and times before you set off. Understood?"

Soap nodded, "Yes sir."

"Good. Now I have business to attend to over in Afghanistan. I'll be in touch." Shephard said as he made his way out of the tent.

Soap and Ghost remained at the table and watched him go. When he disappeared out of sight, Soap turned his attention back to the map as if concentrating on what was to come and Ghost watched his Captain for a moment before he spoke.

"You don't plan on taking me with you do you?"

Soap looked up at his Lieutenant and slowly exhaled.

"I'm not sure if it would be best thing to do in your condition."

"Soap, stealths are what I'm made for, you know that."

"I also know at the last one you were nearly killed," Soap countered.

When Ghost looked away Soap reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You saved my life Ghost, now let me help you recover so we can get you back in the action. If I put you out there to soon your movements and stamina could taper and it could spell disaster for us both."

Ghost looked back over at Soap.

"Two days?"

"Two days."

"I'll organize a stealth course to determine who would be the best for the job."

Soap nodded, "That would be great Ghost, thanks."

Ghost returned the nod and made his way to exit the tent.

"And Ghost?" Soap called. Ghost froze at the doorway and slightly turned his head to the side.

"Take it easy mate."

Ghost smiled.

"Will do sir." He replied as he left the tent and made his way to the 141's sleeping quarters.


	5. Chapter 5

Task Force 141 Base Camp

The next day…

"Alright listen up." Ghost called as he stood in the doorway of the 141's sleeping quarters. All conversation ceased and every head snapped in his direction as Ghost's voice rang out.

"I know it's your free time mates, but something important has come up. There's a course outside set up for you, the one who displays the most ability throughout the course will be chosen to go an important mission with Mctavish. So ready up and meet me out front in five minutes."

With that, Ghost turned and exited the large tent, stepping into the sunlight. He sighed and looked up at the cloudless sky. He wished they were back in the states instead of this temporary camp out in the middle of nowhere in some Russian desert. Ghost reached into his pant pocket and pulled out his red sunglasses and his skull balaclava. He heard shuffling and footsteps behind him as the team rushed to get ready, eager to be chosen to work one on one with their Captain. Ghost effortlessly slid his balaclava over his face and then slid his sunglasses over his ice blue eyes to shield them from the sun. He stepped forward and began walking towards the course he had set up. The camp had a regular training course but Ghost had modified it the day before to see how stealthy the members of the 141 were capable of being. The mission was tomorrow, and Ghost felt utter frustration at not being able to accompany his Captain. Ghost turned as men started filing out of the tent and lining up in front of him. Working on the course had kept his mind off things and he had gotten through last night with no horrible nightmares. Perhaps Soap was just being paranoid, yes it's true he had suffered from hallucinations and horrifying nightmares after what had happened to him, but it was over now. He had moved on. Or at least he hoped he had. Finally the entire Task Force was neatly lined up in two rows in front of Ghost, waiting expectantly for their orders. A gust of wind blew through the ranks sending up clouds of dust. Ghost slowly rolled his neck, popping it in several places and took a step toward his comrades.

"It's the same set up, only I have placed four sentry guns somewhere inside the course. I've modified them with sound detectors and motion sensors, and obviously, I've replaced the ammo with paintballs so if you are hit, we'll all know. And trust me, you don't want to get hit by these things." Ghost began pacing in front of the men.

"The point of this course is stealth. Your to locate all four sentry guns and disarm them without being detected. Is this understood?"

There was a chorus of "yes sirs" and Ghost nodded.

"Alright, Chemo," Ghost called motioning to the course with his head as the man walked up, "your up first."

As Chemo jogged to the entrance Ghost turned to the others.

"The rest of you, don't talk, don't move, this shouldn't take long and I don't want to have to come looking for you."

Ghost turned and made his way to the viewing area of the course as Chemo made his way down the stairs and inside. The rest of the men stood and watched as Ghost stood above the course, arms crossed, observing Chemo as he began.

"So what's up with him?" Worm said softly so everyone around him could hear.

"Dude, Ghost said not to talk." Someone replied.

"And don't you find that strange?" Worm said as he turned around to find the source of the voice, "Ghost is usually pretty cool when he runs the training and courses and stuff, and for the past couple of days he's been kinda out of it and….well pissy."

Roach, who had been standing silently at the end of the front line, had noticed Ghost's attention was no longer completely focused on Chemo, but his head was turned slightly to the left towards them. He looked tense.

"Guys, Ghost is standing ten feet away, do you really think it's smart to go against what he just told you not to do. How about we just focus on the course and cut the chatter."

"I bet I know what it is." Neon said completely ignoring Roach's warning.

Roach sighed in frustration as Worm turned to him, "What?"

"I overheard Ghost and Mctavish talking the other day. Mctavish won't let him go on the mission with him because he's still hurt."

"Well that makes sense," another voice contributed, "Ghost did lose a lot of blood from his injury."

"Yeah but he's moving around more," someone else said, "I mean he looks well enough."

"But get this," Neon said, "The main reason he can't go is not only because he's hurt. Ghost is mentally fucked up about something."

"What do you mean?" Worm asked.

Roach looked over at Ghost again. His hand was clenched in a tight fist.

"I'm not sure man, I heard them talk something about a dream he had. Seems Ghost had some kind of rough life and it screwed with his head a little ya know? So McTavish is all concerned about him and won't let him go."

"Ghost is the best when it comes to stealth related anything, not being able to go, I now understand why he's being all pissy," Worm said.

"Heh and now evidently he's crazy as well," Neon said.

Ghost had been holding a clip board to record the times and as Chemo finished he jotted the time and then forcefully threw the clipboard to the ground. The load clank of the clipboard hitting the pebbles on the ground caused the others to look nervously in his direction. Chemo walked up the stairs, his vest splattered with two sections of paint, and froze in confusion as Ghost walked briskly passed him to the others lined up. Soap, who had watched Chemo from the other side of the course, made his way around to speak to Ghost, but slowed his pace and came to a stop beside Chemo as Ghost furiously ripped his balaclava and sunglasses off his face and pointed to Worm then Neon.

"You and you! Get your bloody arses out in front now!"

Neon and Worm, fear evident on their faces, slowly stepped forward in front of the Lieutenant.

"Since your both so fuckin talkative why don't you talk to me?" Ghost's icy blue eyes seemed to pierce straight through them.

_If looks could kill, _Roach thought as he shivered. Ghost was naturally intimidating, but now, at this moment, he could probably make the devil piss himself. Soap began walking towards them after hearing Ghost's tone, slightly worried. He had never seen Ghost so angry, even when they went to Afghanistan to train FNGs who had never learned any amount of discipline in their life. Worm and Neon looked into the distance, unable to look Ghost in the eye. With any other training leader, punishment would be sit ups or laps, but with Ghost, there's no telling what would come.

"You two think I'm too bloody deaf to hear you?"

The two Task Force members remained silent, avoiding Ghost's furious gaze.

"I'm not talking just to hear myself, answer me!"

"No sir." Neon and Worm answered instantly, both of their voices shaky and unsure.

Ghost stepped closer to them.

"Look at me." He hissed.

Both of them locked their eyes with Ghost's. Worm swallowed visibly.

"Next time you have something to say about me, grow a bloody pair and say it to my face," Ghost said to them, his blue eyes burning into theirs, "Now both of you, get into the course."

They hesitated, first looking at one another then back at Ghost slightly confused.

"Move it!" Ghost yelled startling them, "Or is what I'm saying to crazy to make sense?"

Both Task Force members jogged down the stairs and into the course, and waited at the starting line for Ghost to give them the order to start. Ghost gazed out at the rest of the team. All of them avoided his eyes. He slowly exhaled and turned away from them as he slid his balaclava back on and then his sunglasses. Soap walked at his side as they made their way to the side of the course where they could watch.

"What happened?"

Ghost shook his head.

"Nothing I can't handle," he said.

Soap gazed at his Lieutenant. He had never seen him this way and it disturbed him. Ghost reached for the course controls that were on a stand next to him and looked down at the two men below him.

"So, since you two muppets are obviously not shifty enough for anything stealth related let's see how you do in an all out assault. Grab a gun.

Worm opened the large case full of weapons and ammo and they both grabbed a M16 holograph and a Desert Eagle. Soap looked over at the switch Ghost had his hand rested on. He sighed knowing what he was up to.

"Take out all enemies and watch for civilians. Go!"

The two men dashed across the starting line and as soon as they did, Ghost slammed his hand down on the switch. Worm took cover behind a cement block wall as five human shaped pieces of metal popped up. Each had a pipe attached to it and the switch Ghost pushed triggered the motion sensors on the pipes. Neon lifted his weapon but as he did paintballs shot at him from all five of the metal figures. He fell back. Hard. And crawled to an overturned barrel for shelter as the paintballs continued to pound into his back and side. Worm rose and took out all five of the metal forms while their attention was on Neon.

"If this was real you would be dead Neon. Get your arse up and keep going!" Ghost called.

They continued to run through the course taking out the metal figures as they popped up, but both of them had forgotten about the sentry guns posted, and as they reached the middle of the course, all four guns spotted them and let out a viscous attack of paintballs shooting them at the two men at over 200 mph. Unable to take shelter because of the assault from all sides, Neon and Worm retreated to the course exit that took them back to the stairs. Ghost turned away from the course and leaned back against the railing. Soap turned to him.

"You knew they would get destroyed in there."

Ghost sighed and watched as they limped up the stairs, covered head to toe in paint. Tomorrow they were going to be covered in bruises and knots. And seeing as how Neon wasn't wearing a vest, he might have a few bruised ribs.

"Yeah I knew." Ghost replied as he began walking to the two exhausted and beaten Task Force members.

Neon and Worm looked up at the Lieutenant as he approached.

"Go get washed up. And the next time you receive a simple order such as standing still and not talking, I advise you do it."

"Yes sir." Neon said as he winced in pain.

"Understood." Worm replied still trying to catch his breath.

Ghost beckoned to the sleeping quarters with his head and the two men walked away from the rest of the group. Ghost turned to the others.

"Meat, you're up next. Go."

As Meat ran the course no one else moved a muscle or said a word, and it stayed that way until every 141 member had taken their turn in the stealth course.


	6. Chapter 6

Later that day…

Ghost leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed as he watched Soap look over the times of each run of the course.

"Well," the Captain said after a moment of reviewing the performances, "it seems Roach wasn't the fastest but he was the most efficient."

Ghost leaned forward and placed his head in his hands.

"I'll admit his skill in the course was impressive. This will be his first time in the field, you think he's ready?"

Soap sighed and walked over to where Ghost was seated.

"You trained him mate. What do you think?"

Ghost lifted his head and looked gazed blankly ahead for a moment. He thought back to when Roach first arrived. The moment he stepped off the plane and stepped into the camp, Ghost knew he was capable of great things. During every training Ghost led, Roach stood out among the others and Ghost knew it would only be a matter of time before he would be on his first Task Force mission. And now, after three months of vigorous training, Roach was finally doing just that. Ghost couldn't help smiling, he had grown quite close to Roach in the little time they've known each other and he saw him as a little brother.

"He's ready," Ghost said and Soap nodded in approval.

"Alright then, I have to get everything ready to head out tomorrow, the rest of the boys are having dinner so go grab you a bite to eat and if you see Roach send him to me."

"Will do," Ghost replied as he rose to his feet, "want me to bring you anything?"

"Nah I'll grab something later mate, thanks though," Soap said.

Ghost nodded then left the tent and made his way to the dining tent. As he walked his thoughts roamed to that day he told Soap about his past.

"_**Something's eating at you mate, I can see it." Soap said as he came up behind Ghost who was leaning against the hood of a jeep. Ghost turned to look at his Captain then turned his attention back at the task force members playing basketball nearby.**_

"_**I'm fine," he said softly.**_

"_**You've been here three weeks Ghost. Your skills are very impressive I'll tell you that, but there's something about you. Something that you're keeping bottled up."**_

_**Ghost swallowed visibly.**_

"_**Did something happen while you were in the SAS? Is that why you left and came here?" Soap pressed.**_

_**Ghost turned back to him and sighed.**_

"_**There's… things that have happened to me that I can't quite seem to forget…" he said.**_

_**Soap tilted his head curiously.**_

"_**Such as?"**_

_**Ghost seemed to hesitate.**_

"_**This is just between you and me mate, I promise," Soap said softly.**_

_**Ghost removed his balaclava and sunglasses and Soap's eyes widened when he saw the nine inch scare running down Ghost's face and neck.**_

"_**This happened during a mission in Mexico last year…" Ghost began.**_

A movement ahead of him caused Ghost to clear his thoughts and freeze in his tracks. Ghost didn't understand why, but the same anxiety he felt when he had his recent nightmare was building up again. Ghost took a deep breath and continued walking.

"It was probably one of the boys walking around, or one of the volunteers, why the hell am I even paranoid right now?" he whispered to himself.

"Talking to yourself isn't a good sign English."

Ghost whipped around to face the source of the voice and when he saw who it was he stumbled backwards a few steps.

"Roba?" Ghost gasped.

The man smiled. He was Mexican and quite fat, and his face was painted to look like a skull.

"Glad to see you still remember me English." He replied in his thickly accented voice.

In a flash, Ghost had drawn his combat knife and lunged at the larger man preparing to slit his throat. But the knife slashed air as Roba disappeared. Ghost's eyes widened in shock as he frantically looked around for his enemy.

"Heh heh, you can't kill me English." Roba said from behind him. When Ghost turned Roba grabbed his throat and squeezed tightly. Ghost struggled for breath as he was lifted off the ground. Ghost grabbed Roba's arm with one hand and stabbed down with the other, but Roba was faster. He grabbed Ghost's wrist before the knife made contact and sharply twisted it causing Ghost to drop the knife and cry out.

"You know why you can't kill me?" Roba said as Ghost continued to struggle to free himself. He was beginning to see dots from the lack of air.

"Because I'm in here," Roba said as he pressed a finger to Ghost's forehead, "and this time, I'm here to stay."

Roba threw Ghost to the ground and began to walk away. Gasping for breath Ghost grabbed his dropped knife and struggled to his hands and knees. He looked up and saw Roba smirk at him and then walked around the side of a tent. Enraged, Ghost jumped up and chased after him. When he rounded the tent he saw him and he instantly grabbed him by the neck and pulled him backwards. Ghost maneuvered himself on top and lifted his knife for the kill.

"Ghost no! It's me!" a voice cried out in terror.

Still gasping for breath, Ghost froze with the knife still lifted above his head. His vision seemed to shift for a moment and he realized with alarm that it wasn't Roba he was on top of, but Roach.

"Roach…" Ghost gasped as he slowly lowered his arm.

"Yes Ghost it's me." Roach said quickly his eyes still wide.

Ghost looked away for a moment in confusion and shock at the realization he almost killed his own comrade. The lieutenant lifted himself and dropped his knife to the floor, watching as Roach lifted himself off the ground.

"Roach…mate…I'm sorry…I-I don't know what happened…I." Ghost stuttered.

"Roach!"

Ghost turned to see Neon rushing towards them. He ran up to Roach.

"Are you alright man?"

Roach rubbed his throat where dark bruises were already starting to form from where Ghost had grabbed him.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine…" he said still shaken up.

"Roach, I'm sorry, I thought you were…someone else." Ghost said softly.

"Someone else?" Neon said in a stiff tone, "Who the hell would be in the camp that you would need to slice up into pieces?"

Normally, Ghost wouldn't have tolerated a lower rank speaking to him in such a way, but his head was still pounding with confusion. He slowly began to realize none of what happened with Roba was real. It was all a hallucination, just like the ones he used to have only this one was the most vivid one he had ever experienced. Soap was correct, he wasn't alright and it took him until he nearly killed someone for him to realize that. Ghost sighed and placed his hands on his forehead.

"Roach, Soap wants to speak with you, if you're not doing anything important at the moment go ahead and go meet him in his tent."

Ghost lowered his hands and started to walk off.

"Ghost…where are you going?" Roach asked, concerned.

Ghost didn't answer; instead he walked off alone and disappeared in a cloud of dust.

"What the bloody hell happened to you?" Soap asked as his eyes caught sight of the now obvious bruises on Roach's neck.

Roach swallowed nervously and looked away. The last thing he wanted to do was get Ghost into trouble somehow, but he couldn't lie to his Captain.

"Roach what happened to you? Who did this?" Soap asked as he came closer.

Roach sighed and looked back at Soap.

"It was Ghost…" he said softly.

"What?" Soap said, stunned.

Roach shook his head, "He didn't do it on purpose sir…he…said he thought I was someone else…he seemed real shaken up."

Soap sighed deeply and looked away for a moment.

"Where is he?"

Ghost took off his mask and sunglasses and sighed as he leaned against the side of a truck. With his free hand he reached for his canteen and poured the cool water on his face. Ghost leaned his head back letting the water drip down his face and neck.

"Ghost."

Ghost jerked his head up at the sound of his name.

"Soap." Ghost said softly as the Captain walked up to him.

"What happened Ghost?" Soap asked.

Ghost closed his eyes and leaned his head back again.

"I saw Roach's neck…care to explain?"

Ghost tucked his mask and sunglasses into his pocket and stood up straight.

"You were right mate…" Ghost said, "There's something…something wrong with me…"

Ghost turned and slammed his hands down onto the hood of the truck and sighed again.

"I saw him Soap…I saw him again…"

Soap came closer to him.

"Who?"

"Roba." Ghost whispered

Soap came beside Ghost and leaned against the truck. He had hoped this wouldn't happen. Ghost's mental condition had seemed to worsen in the past few days. The last thing he wanted to do was send Ghost home, but the hallucination of the man who had tortured him had caused Ghost to attack another Task Force member, and that made him dangerous. Soap laid a hand on the Lieutenant's shoulder.

"Take it easy for a while mate. I want you to relax, and try to keep your mind off of things."

Ghost scoffed at that.

"I wish it were that simple…"


	7. Chapter 7

Roach exited the main tent after being informed that he was chosen to accompany Captain McTavish on the mission to Kazakhstan. Soap had told him to have the needed equipment ready to go by ten tonight because they were more than likely leaving early in the morning. Roach glanced down at his watch. 8:45pm. He had a bit of time. A gunshot sounded, followed by a loud clang. Roach turned as he heard the clamor again. It was coming from the training course. Slowly, Roach made his way to a good viewing area and looked down into the course. Ghost was sprinting across the course taking out every human shaped piece of metal that popped up. He spun and crouched behind a cement wall as two metal people popped up and the motion sensors locked on to him. Paintballs splattered the wall and when they ceased, Ghost rose from behind the wall and took them both out before they could lock on to him again. Roach's eyes widened in admiration. Ghost was using only his sidearm and he had already succeeded in taking out all four of the sentry guns and almost all of the metal people. Three more metal forms popped up in front of Ghost and he instantly knifed one then dropped to the ground as paintballs flew over his head. Ghost aimed his handgun up and shot both of the metal people in the head, then jumped to his feet and sprinted to the exit. There was a loud beep as the timer Ghost set up at the controls stopped as soon as he crossed the finish line. Roach made his way around the course to meet Ghost as he walked slowly up the stairs, his body completely unscathed by paintballs.

"Completed in 28 seconds…wow." Roach said from the top of the stairs.

Ghost froze for a moment and looked up at Roach who was smiling down at him. Guilt flooded through him when he spotted the dark bruises along Roach's neck. Roach couldn't see his friend's face hidden behind his mask, but he knew by the way Ghost had paused and was now coming towards him even slower that he was still beating himself up over what had happened.

"Ghost…don't stress over what happened today, it's no big deal- "

"No big deal? Roach, I nearly killed you," Ghost said as he finally reached the top and stood in front of his comrade.

Roach sighed and watched as Ghost walked around him and towards the course controls.

"What exactly happened?" Roach asked as he followed.

Ghost didn't reply as he reset the timer.

"What Neon said earlier today…he was right wasn't he?"

Ghost sighed and dropped his head. He stayed like that for a moment before turning to Roach and leaning back on the controls.

"Yes…he was right." Ghost replied quietly.

Roach averted the Lieutenant's gaze for a moment trying to think of what to say next. He didn't want to push Ghost too hard into talking about something he may not be comfortable talking about.

"I'm sure you've noticed the scar on my face and neck." Ghost said suddenly.

Roach looked up at Ghost and nodded slowly. He had always wondered about the scar but never felt comfortable asking Ghost about it. _He always wears that mask, maybe he's trying to hide it_. Roach thought.

"Well…I got it when I was captured in Mexico."

"Captured?" Roach didn't see Ghost as the easily captured type.

Ghost nodded.

"In those days I took orders from Major Vernon. He pulled me out of the SAS before we were shipped out for operations in Iran for some American terrorist mission," Ghost said as he folded his arms, "Our mission was to find and capture a Mexican terrorist and drug lord by the name of Roba. Little did we know, Vernon was in the loop with Roba and the entire operation was a disaster waiting to happen. My team was killed save for me and two of my team mates, Washington and Sparks. We were pitted against each other and forced to fight to the death."

Roach leaned against the rail beside his friend.

"You killed them?"

Ghost shook his head then rested his eyes on Roach.

"No. And every time I didn't they tortured me. Roba wanted to turn us into his little puppets like he had done to Vernon. He tried several brainwashing techniques on me, but I refused to break."

"Is that how you got the scar?" Roach asked.

Ghost reached up with his left hand and gently touched where the scar was hidden under his mask.

"Roba wanted to test my abilities, so he had one of his men attack me armed a knife. I managed to get the upper hand and break his neck but not before he sliced me from my cheek to my collarbone."

Roach winced as he mentally saw the deed take place.

"After I succeeded, Roba became even more determined to control me. The torture continued for four months becoming more and more intense and painful until I finally believed the man had destroyed me. Washington and Sparks had escaped when they learned Roba had grown tired of us and planned to kill us all. They tried to save me, but couldn't open my cell."

Ghost paused and seemed to angrily shake his head. Roach wanted to ask what was on his mind but he was sure Ghost would explain later in the story.

"Anyways," Ghost continued, "They were right, that night Roba pulled me out of my cell and tried to kill me by piercing my side with this giant hook tied to a tree limb. He left me to die but obviously I didn't. I'm not gonna lie mate, that was probably the most painful bloody thing that I've ever experienced and the only thing I wanted to do was roll over and die. They returned that morning and when they found me still breathing, Roba pulled me down then buried me alive with the decomposing body of Vernon who he had killed at some time or another."

"How the hell did you get out of there?" Roach couldn't help but asking.

Ghost visibly shivered.

"I ripped out Vernon's bottom jaw and used the bone to break my way out of the coffin and dig my way out of the ground. Took me about thirteen hours."

Roach looked up at him in utter shock.

"Disoriented and dehydrated I somehow managed to make it to Texas on foot and was found unconscious by an officer patrolling the desert."

Roach couldn't help but shake his head. Ghost really was one tough son of a bitch. Ghost looked up at the dark sky speckled with stars and sighed.

"The six months after I made it out of there, I suffered terrible nightmares and hallucinations and I was put on several different medications. They had just gone away when…" Ghost trailed off.

Roach looked at his friend expectantly, but Ghost remained silent. He was gazing off into the distance his expression completely unreadable behind his mask.

"What happened?" Roach asked softly.

Ghost turned to him again and looked like he was about to respond when McTavish's voice interrupted them.

"Roach!"

Both men turned to see the Captain making his way toward them. Instantly Roach glanced at his watch. 10:15. _Shit. _

"I told you to have everything ready before 10 Roach." Soap said unable to hide the intense irritation in his voice.

Ghost stood away from the controls and shifted himself between the nervous Roach and the angry Captain.

"It's my fault sir," Ghost said as Soap came to a stop in front of him, "I pulled Roach aside on his way to the barracks to give him some tips for tomorrow. Seems I flapped my jaws a bit too much like always."

Soap smirked at that.

"Alright," he said softly, then peered over Ghost's shoulder at Roach, "Hurry up and get everything ready and meet me at the main tent. We're heading out in about three hours. We need to discuss what is going to happen and look over some blueprints."

"Yes sir." Roach replied from behind Ghost.

Soap nodded and gave Ghost a rough yet friendly pat on his upper arm then turned and walked away.

"Thanks." Roach said as Ghost turned to him.

Ghost smiled behind his mask.

"No problem mate. Now go get ready before Tavish comes back and kicks your arse."


	8. Chapter 8

I apologize for this being so short. The next one will be a lot longer I promise. Please review and enjoy!

* * *

Roach always got nervous when it came to heights and right now he wished there were doors on the helicopters to settle his fear of falling out. Roach leaned over a bit to get a look at the dark blur of a world rushing by. He couldn't keep his mind off of Ghost's story. Obviously the horrific nightmares and hallucinations had returned but why?

"What's on your mind lad?" Soap asked from across the chopper where he was sitting.

Roach turned his attention to his Captain.

"I…I was just thinking about Ghost sir," he replied, "and who he thought I was when he attacked me yesterday."

Soap nodded then turned his head to gaze outside.

"Ghost was hallucinating. He thought you were a man called Roba. Roba had—"

"—tortured Ghost for four months," Roach finished, "he told me about it. But he didn't tell me what happened after he made it out of Mexico."

Soap looked back at Roach and was silent for a moment.

"There were two others that were captured with Ghost in Mexico, Sparks and Washington. Did he tell you about them?"

Roach nodded.

"He said they escaped. But…he seemed kind of weird when he talked about them."

"That's because they were brainwashed mate," Soap said, "and when they discovered Ghost was still alive, they informed Roba, who in turn ordered them to kill him."

Soap gazed back outside, anger clear on his face.

"But before they went after Ghost, they went after his family. They executed his mother, brother, sister in law, and his five year old nephew."

Roach was speechless in shock.

"Ghost found them lying in pools of their own blood on the floor of his mother's apartment after he realized that the two were working for Roba." Soap said softly.

"Wh-what did he do?" Roach asked still stunned.

Soap shook his head.

"There was nothing much he could do for a while mate. Sparks and Washington set up the murder so that all signs pointed to Ghost. When the police found the bodies he would be a wanted man. They also set him up for the murder of his psychologist."

Soap looked down at his watch. They would be arriving at the drop off location soon.

"That was the night something in Ghost seemed to snap. He tried to commit suicide, seeing as how he had lost everything including the will to live, but he couldn't do it. He wanted revenge more than anything. He didn't want Roba to win."

"Did he hunt them down? And what about his father? And what's the deal with the mask he wears all the time?" Roach asked unable to help himself.

Soap clutched his ACR tighter.

"No time for that right now Roach. I need you to focus on the task at hand. We've arrived."

Task Force Base Camp

Ghost came awake suddenly and bolted into a sitting position on his bed. He looked around the darkness gasping for breath as the images from his nightmare flashed through his head. Sweat beaded his forehead and chest. He glanced at the clock sitting next to his bed. 4:12am. _Soap and Roach must have arrived at the base a short time ago ._Ghost thought to himself,desperate to get the haunting images out of his head. He wished he could be out there right now. He knew Roach deserved and needed the experience but Ghost couldn't help feeling useless sitting here at the camp waiting for them to return. He hated not being involved, and he hated the fact that the word of his mental state had gotten around. Normally everyone gazed upon Ghost with respect or wonder, now it was fear or a look that just plain out said "your fucking crazy". Ghost sighed and rose from his bed. He was tired of this. He was tired of the memories that haunted him. He was tired of being told to "take it easy" or "try to get some rest". He was tired of seeing his mother's dead face and the unseen person gunning him down in every nightmare that visited him. He was tired of all of it. He wanted to know why the simple sound of his mother's voice had comforted him and now caused him undying torment. Was she trying to tell him something? Was there something that he needed to do? Was she warning him? Ghost shook his head to clear it for a moment as he stepped outside of his tent and took a deep breath of fresh air. He was thinking too much. Dreams were just dreams. And he was having these dreams because he had been thinking too much about the past. _But what about the hallucination? _Ghost thought to himself. _That was too bloody real…_

Ghost shivered as he remembered how close he had come to ending Roach's life. There had to be a reason for this. There had to be a reason for the sudden return of nightmares and hallucinations. But what was it?


	9. Chapter 9

Ghost walked back into his tent and slid on a black long sleeved shirt, then walked outside once again and began to journey his way around camp. Ghost crossed his arms in an effort to keep himself warm as a cool breeze whipped through the camp. He passed the training area and came up to the barracks. Ghost paused at the door and glimpsed through the small square window in the middle of the door to make sure everyone was asleep. His eyes rested on Roach's empty bed for a moment and he sighed. He couldn't help but worry about him. It had been his call to let the rookie take his place but what if he wasn't ready? What if the Russians were waiting for them like last they were last time? Soap had nearly been blown to pieces by an RPG, and Ghost himself had nearly bled to death. Ghost turned away from the barracks and continued walking. How _had_ the enemy known they would be there? It didn't make sense. And not to mention the intel had been a dud. Soap and Ghost both had nearly lost their lives for something that had no accommodating value whatsoever. Ghost looked up at the stars as he walked, enjoying the cool breeze as it flowed across his exposed face. He couldn't help but feel the whole operation had been some sort of set up…

"Enjoying your walk English?"

Ghost whipped around at the sound of Roba's accented voice, but no one was there. Ghost held his breath, his eyes darting in every direction looking for any signs of movement. Nothing stirred. Ghost sighed and rubbed his forehead. Perhaps he should get back to sleep. Slowly he made his way back to his tent hoping he wouldn't hear or see the fat fuck that had tortured him and nearly drove him insane. When he got back in his bed, Ghost slipped off his shirt and boots, and laid back in his still warm bed. He crossed his arms behind his head and looked over at the clock. 4:47am. Ghost hoped Soap and Roach were doing alright. Soap had informed him they would be returning around 9 in the morning if all went well, and Ghost hoped to God all was going well.

Kazakhstan

4:47 am

"Roach stay down," Soap whispered into his headset.

Roach instantly obeyed and kneeled down lower next to his Captain. Soap gazed out ahead. There were three guards walking around the entrance to the building, and no telling how many more inside. Plus there could be more guards stationed away from the door they were going to use. Soap opened the heartbeat sensor attached to his ACR and scanned the area. So far just the three guards.

"Alright Roach, we need to take these three muppets out and make our way to the entrance. Once inside we travel along the main hall until we reach the main office where the intel is being kept. Its early, so there shouldn't be many guards up and about inside, but we still need to keep our senses alert. Understood?"

Roach nodded quietly and looked back up at the three guards who were now standing close together, conversing among themselves.

"Take the one on the far left, these other two are lined up for me," Soap said, "On my mark, three, two, one."

The bullets gave off hardly any sound as they left their silenced weapons and buried themselves in the three men. Soap kept his gun raised and watched the three bodies fall, making sure they were all dead before he lowered his weapon and looked over at Roach.

"Well done."

Roach couldn't help but smile. Soap returned it, then lifted himself off the ground.

"Let's get moving, we don't have much time."

Roach rose and followed Soap as he sprinted across the clearing and crouched beside the side door they were to enter. Soap checked his heartbeat sensor again. No one inside near the door. This was becoming almost too easy, which in Soap's point of view, was usually a bad thing. He glanced down at his watch.

"Alright we don't have much time, let's get this thing and then get the hell out of here."

Task Force Base Camp

Ghost tossed and turned restlessly in his bed. He had this growing anxiety building up that refused to go away. His thoughts kept turning to the mission he and Soap had been on recently. The mission that had nearly killed them both. Something was wrong. Very wrong. Ghost rose out of his bed and dressed himself, this time slipping on a jacket as well. He left his tent and made his way to the main tent in the middle of the base. Silently he slid inside and walked over to the large table where the map was spread out. There was a red mark where Soap and Roach currently were. Ghost stared at it for a moment, the anxiety still growing. He then turned and sat a small desk where a radio was stationed. Ghost placed his hand on it for a moment. Should he check in on them? He glanced up at the clock sitting on a shelf above him. 5:28am. Their evac was in about half an hour. Ghost sighed then flipped the switch to the radio as he placed the headset on his head. A loud static noise filled his head as he slowly turned a knob until he reached Soap and Roach's frequency setting. The static instantly stopped.

"Soap, this is Ghost do you copy?"

Silence.

"Soap, this is Ghost, come in."

"Ghost!" Soap yelled in reply.

Ghost nearly rose from the sound of distress in Soap's voice.

"Soap, what's goin on? Can you hear me?"

"We- pinned down- Roach-down-nowhere-go-surrounded!" Soap's voice replied. His headset must have been damaged, "Can't get in touch-chopper. Roach!"

Roach was down. Soap was surrounded. He couldn't get in touch with chopper which meant it could possibly be down as well. Ghost leaped to his feet.

"Soap hang in there! I'm on my way!"

There was no reply.

"Soap!" Ghost yelled desperately. He knew that the ride to Kazakhstan was about three hours and there was a very slim chance they could hold out that long, but he had to try. Ghost grabbed one of the headsets he always wore that was hanging nearby. He turned it to Soap's frequency as he sprinted out of the main tent and to the barracks to wake one of the 141's pilots. Why the hell hadn't the Task Force been informed that Roach and Soap were in danger?

"Soap can you hear me?" Ghost yelled as he ran.

"Ghost-I'm hit-closing in-no time-Roach-dead."

Ghost's heart dropped. Roach was dead? Ghost literally kicked the barracks door open.

"I need a pilot now!" he yelled

Everyone came awake and one pilot Ghost recognized sat up in his bed, half asleep and extremely confused. Ghost ran up to him and grabbed his arm, lifting the man to his feet.

"Hurry up and get ready we need to head out now!"

As the pilot scrambled to get himself dressed, Ghost turned away and began walking out the barracks to where the helicopters were sitting. The Task Force got out of bed and began getting ready as well, chatting among themselves with worry and confusion.

"Soap I'm on my way. Do you copy? I'm on my way. I need you to hold out as long as possible." Ghost said desperately as he approached one of the helicopters and turned around to see the pilot running towards him. There was no response.

"Soap! Say something! Can you hear me?"

"They're dead Riley."

Ghost whipped around at the sound of Shephard's voice. But it wasn't Shephard who was behind him, it was Major Vernon. The major's face was decomposed and his bottom jaw was missing. Ghost froze in fear and shock and with inhuman like strength and speed, Vernon grabbed Ghost by the neck and slammed him hard into the helicopter behind him.

"They're all dead," Shephard's voice whispered to him, "and your next."

Ghost didn't see the gun he just heard the gunshot and felt as it ripped into him, shattering one of his ribs and grazing the side of his right lung. Ghost gasped for breath as he watched in shock as Vernon's face suddenly became Shephard's before everything went black.

Ghost nearly leaped out of his bed as a hand touched his shoulder. He looked over wide eyed at Soap who was watching him concerned.

"Soap?" Ghost said breathlessly not sure what was real anymore.

"Yeah mate it's me," Soap replied, "Didn't mean to scare you."

Ghost shook his head to clear it. Another nightmare. Shakily he turned and glanced at the clock. 10:15am. Soap followed his eyes.

"We've been back for over an hour", he said, "the boy's were up and about when me and Roach returned. None of em had seen you so I came in here to check on you."

Ghost looked up at him.

"Roach. Is he alright?"

Soap nodded.

"He's fine. He did a good job out there too. We found the intel without any problems, it was almost too easy."

When Ghost didn't reply Soap slightly turned his head and looked over him carefully. He was shaken up and had obviously suffered another nightmare. Ghost was staring down at his blankets, his eyes distant.

"Wanna talk about it?" Soap asked softly.

Ghost looked up at him, snapping out of his reverie.

"It was just a dream," he said, "a very realistic one but a dream nonetheless."

"What about?"

Ghost shook his head.

"Nothing to be concerned about I'm sure," he replied as he rose from bed, "Now how about we grab some breakfast and you tell me what happened out there. I'm curious to know how Roach did."

Soap gave him a small smile.

"Alright. I'll meet you at the dining hall."

As Soap left, Ghost reached for the shirt he had worn in his dream and looked it over half expecting to see it ripped up from when he was attacked, but it was perfectly fine. He slipped it on and felt slightly guilty about his lie to Soap. He was extremely concerned about his dream and felt it held some vital importance, but he put aside these thoughts for now and just let himself sink into the relief that Soap and Roach had returned unscathed. Ghost reached for his skull balaclava and looked at it for a moment, taking in that skull face image. He remembered how Roba used to paint his face like that, and how his father had as well. The two most evil people Ghost had ever known carried that same image and it almost felt like it was more than just a coincidence. Especially since Ghost had painted his face the same way the night he and his team tried to take out Roba. Ghost sighed as he laid the mask back down on his small dresser. He turned and stepped out of his tent and into the sunlight, then made his way to the dining hall where Soap awaited him.


	10. Chapter 10

The dining area was empty save for Soap, Roach, and a few others. Ghost pulled a seat out from under a table and seated himself next to Roach. He looked over at Soap who was seated across from them.

"So tell me how it went." Ghost said cheerfully as plates of food were brought to them.

Soap took a drink of water and turned the cup in his hands.

"Like I said, it was almost too easy. We got the intel and got out without any problems."

"Hopefully the intel is worth something this time." Ghost said irritated as he took a bite of his biscuit.

"Ha! Yea I hear ya mate. I'm tired of playing fetch." Soap agreed as he began surveying his food, trying to decide what to eat first.

"So how did this one do?" Ghost asked as he jerked his head in Roach's direction.

Soap shook his head.

"Absolutely horrible mate. I don't know what muppet chose him to come with me."

"The same muppet that could kick your arse I'm sure."

Soap laughed.

"Watch yourself mate."

Roach watched as the Lieutenant and Captain squabbled playfully as he chewed silently on a bite of omelet. He looked over at Ghost who was seated to his left and his eyes unintentionally rested on Ghost's noticeable scar. He had never seen such a horrid wound. He couldn't even begin to imagine the pain Ghost had went through when he was tortured for so many weeks. Ghost suddenly turned to him and Roach blinked as the long scar shifted.

"Have you lost the ability to speak mate? Your always so bloody quiet." Ghost said teasingly.

Roach smiled, glad Ghost didn't get offended by his accidental staring. That's what he loved about Ghost, as did everyone, Ghost wasn't quick to anger and he was so mellow and easy to get along with, unless the moment called for him to be serious, then you did not want to get on this guy's bad side.

"Just wondering who's gonna win this battle of the wits that's going on." Roach replied as he took another bite of his omelet.

Soap leaned back in his chair and rested the back of his head in his hands.

"The battle has been won lad, and you know why? I outrank Ghost, and if he says another word I could send him to run the course as punishment." Soap said with an evil smirk.

Ghost casually rolled his eyes and then, after taking careful aim, flicked a piece of his biscuit that was lying on the table. The piece of food flew at a blinding speed and hit Soap square in the right eye. Roach spurted water everywhere as he consequently laughed while drinking and Soap leaned forward, his hand pressed against his eye cursing at Ghost.

"What the bloody 'ell?! Ghost! Your dead!" Soap yelled.

Ghost laughed in response as he leaned back in his chair and balanced it on two legs.

"Haha! Sorry sir! It was an accident I swear!"

Soap removed his hand to reveal a red and watery eye. Tears streamed out of the eye and down Soap's cheek as he blinked rapidly.

"Aww, sorry mate, didn't mean to make you cry." Ghost said.

Roach laughed harder struggling to breathe as he coughed and choked on the water he had been drinking. Soap shook his head and smiled as he wiped the tears away.

"That was a sucker move Ghost. Payback's a bitch, remember that."

Ghost chuckled and turned his attention to the coughing Roach. He patted his friend's back in an effort to help him breath.

"Easy Roach, keep laughing and Soap will have to add you to his hit list also."

"Damn straight." Soap replied from across the table as he continued to wipe at his eye.

Roach finally stopped coughing and took another drink of water then cleared his throat. Ghost crossed his arms and leaned back into his chair again.

"You alright?" he asked with a smirk.

Roach nodded.

"I'm fine, don't know about Captain Mctavish though." He replied.

Ghost looked over at Soap who had finally cleared the tears away from his eye.

"I'll be alright. And I'll be even better when I get Ghost back for this." Soap said smiling.

"I'm terrified."

"Good."

The three of them laughed and went back to eating their breakfast. After a moment, Roach gazed over at Ghost.

"How's your side?" he asked.

Ghost swallowed the bite he was chewing and glanced down at where the wound was hidden underneath his shirt, his side still covered in bandages.

"It only hurts when I move, and even then it's not bad, I guess I've gotten used to it."

"You need to head back to the medical tent to get it checked out, the shrapnel lodged in your side caused a lot of damage and we need to make sure it's healing like it should." Soap said.

Ghost nodded.

"Alright, I'll stop by sometime today. Heard anything about what was on the intel you guys retrieved?"

Soap shook his head.

"Not yet. Shephard's men took it from us as soon as we got on the bloody chopper. If it's anything important I'm sure we'll know soon enough."

At the mention of Shephard Ghost instantly went quiet, his thoughts rushing back to the dream he had last night. Usually the nightmares he had were just horrific images that just screwed with him, but this one felt like something more. Like it actually _meant _something. Even though Ghost had this nagging feeling it meant something, he couldn't quite figure out what and it bothered the hell out of him.

"If you're feeling up to it, I want some training to begin tomorrow. I don't know how long we are gonna be sitting on our asses and I don't want the boys to get lazy." Soap said.

Ghost didn't respond, instead he stared blankly ahead.

"Ghost?" Soap asked and Roach stopped eating and looked up.

Ghost blinked and focused on Soap.

"What?"

Soap gazed at him for a moment.

"What?" Ghost repeated confused.

Roach chuckled and shook his head.

"I said I want some training done tomorrow if you're feeling up to it." Soap said.

"Oh…alright." Ghost replied dryly as he drank some of his water.

"You feeling ok?" Roach asked.

Ghost gave him a small smile.

"Yeah mate I'm fine, just thinking."

"What about?"

Ghost sighed.

"Well…last night I-"

"Captain Mctavish!" a voice called from behind Ghost.

Ghost turned to see Meat standing at the entrance to the dining hall.

"Sir there's a fight outside the barracks!"

Soap sighed irritably and quickly rose to his feet and made his way out of the dining room followed closely by Roach and Ghost. The fight was between Neon and another member nicknamed Reaper. Ghost wasn't surprised to see Neon involved, he was probably running his mouth, like always, and pissed Reaper off. Reaper was larger than Neon and faster, and Ghost held back watching with slight amusement as Neon got his ass kicked. Soap lunged forward and grabbed Reaper, ripping him off of Neon, and throwing him backwards into the dirt.

"Enough!" he yelled.

The rest of the Task Force had gathered around to watch the fight and Ghost walked around them.

"Alright it's over, get goin, come on." He said waving them off.

Slowly the group began to break away and get back to whatever they were doing. Ghost grasped Rocket by the shoulder as he tried to walk by.

"Not you. Tell me what happened." He said.

It took Rocket a moment to recognize Ghost without his mask, but once he did he pointed over to Archer.

"I didn't see what happened, I was in the barracks when I heard yelling but I couldn't make out what they were saying. I heard Archer's voice yelling at someone, so he may know what went on."

Ghost looked over at Archer who was standing a short distance away with Toad.

"Archer!" Ghost called as he released Rocket and beckoned to the sniper specialist.

As Archer made his way over to him, Ghost turned and watched as Soap helped Neon to his feet and Roach struggled to keep Reaper from attacking again.

"Yeah?"

Ghost turned back to Archer.

"Do you know what happened mate?"

Archer's eyes widened as he recognized Ghost's voice.

"Ghost? Wow, I was beginning to think that mask was glued to your face."

Ghost smiled.

"Very funny mate. So what 'appened?"

Archer nodded in Neon's direction and Ghost's eyes followed. Soap was talking to both of them, the anger at their behavior evident on his face.

"Neon was running his bloody mouth like always," Archer said from beside Ghost, "It's about time someone shut him up."

"What was he talking about?"

Archer sighed and shook his head.

"You mainly, it seems he's still a bit bitter towards you after what happened at the training course the other day. He wanted to go on that mission with Captain McTavish and was pissed when he didn't get the chance and instead came out of there looking like a fool who got attacked by Picasso."

Ghost chuckled at that.

"But it pissed me off, so I yelled at him a bit. Then he shoved me and Reaper jumped him before I could react." Archer finished.

Ghost nodded.

"Thanks mate, that's all I needed to know."

Ghost began walking towards them and Soap turned to him as he approached.

"Well Ghost, what do you think we should do with these two?"

Ghost locked eyes with Neon and held his gaze until Neon turned his eyes away. Ghost turned his attention to Soap.

"From what I've heard Neon seems to have a bit of a problem with me."

Soap's eyes widened and he focused on the nervous Task Force member.

"Well, seems we have a bit to talk about then. Head to my tent. Now."

Neon instantly walked away and Soap turned his attention to Reaper.

"He attacked when Neon shoved Archer. In my opinion he's off the hook." Ghost said from behind Soap.

Soap nodded.

"Alright, Reaper your free to go," he said then turned to Ghost, "I'll take care of Neon this time mate. I'm tired of his attitude."

"Sure you don't want me to handle it?"

"I've got it. He's never had to deal with me personally, so he should be straightened out when I'm through with him."

Ghost chuckled and crossed his arms.

"You can be scary as hell when you want to be."

"You have no idea," Soap said as he began walking away, "there's still payback headed your way for flicking food in my bloody eye."

Ghost laughed as he turned and headed back to his tent.


	11. Chapter 11

Ghost stepped into his tent and paused in front of his mirror. His eyes gazed at the long scar that ran down his face and neck and a dark feeling instantly came over him like it always did when he gazed at the disfigurement. Perhaps he had taken too long of a vacation from his mask. Ghost lifted the balaclava and slid it over his face. He watched in the mirror as the length of the scar disappeared as the mask covered his face. Ghost then grabbed his sunglasses and slid them on and stepped back outside. It was quite warm out and since there was nothing that needed doing, he figured a walk would be good to clear his mind of the recent events. Ghost made his way over to the basketball court where a group of Task Force members where playing. He leaned against a chain link fence and watched them with interest. It was Worm, Chemo, and Redcell versus Reaper, Toad, and Rocket. Worm by far was the best of the bunch and Toad was by far the worst seeing as every time he got a hold of the ball he lost it in less than two seconds. Ghost turned his head to the left as he heard someone approach. It was Roach.

"Aye mate." Ghost said.

Roach nodded to him and leaned against the fence beside his Lieutenant.

"I wonder what's happening to Neon right now." Roach said.

"Nothing good I'm sure." Ghost replied as he continued to watch the game.

Roach nodded in agreement then shifted his position so the he was leaning on his side and facing the Lieutenant.

"Before I forget, there was a message from General Shephard. Something about the intel we retrieved. Anyway Captain McTavish asked me to let you know if I saw you. I guess we actually got something good this time."

Ghost turned to face him.

"Sounds like it. I'll talk to Soap about it later."

"Quick question." Roach said suddenly.

"Shoot."

"Why do you call the Captain Soap?"

Ghost smirked. Out of the entire Task Force he was the only one that referred to Captain John McTavish by his nickname. When he first had met McTavish in the SAS that was the only name he had. Ghost wasn't able to get to know McTavish or work much with him because of the fact the he was transferred out to a new spec ops team only a couple of weeks after Ghost arrived. The two had barley said a word to one another then, but when Ghost had transferred to the Task Force 141 after only four months of being a member of the SAS, he was reunited with Soap and they became close within a short period of time. Soap had remembered Ghost by his strange skull balaclava he always wore. When he received word that a Simon Riley was to join his Task Force as McTavish's new Lieutenant, the name sounded vaguely familiar, and when Ghost, clad in his mask and sunglasses, stepped out of the helicopter and approached his new Captain, Soap instantly recognized him. Ghost's skills were stunning and his leadership skills earned him upmost respect from the other men. It didn't take long for Soap to warm up to his Lieutenant and the two became more than just friends, they became brothers.

"I've known him for a while now, when I first met him in the SAS that's what he was called before he became a Captain. That name just kind of stuck."

"Heads up!" a voice called.

Before Ghost could react to the warning, the basketball slammed into his injured side. White hot sparks of pain dominated every nerve in his body and he doubled over in agony fighting the light headedness and dots that clouded his vision. Roach grabbed his shoulder to hold him up.

"Ghost are you alright?!"

Ghost tried to respond but the pain wasn't wavering and the breath had been knocked out of him. He could feel warmth spreading across his side and he figured the wound must have reopened. Ghost heard several footsteps running towards him and he managed to straighten himself and leaned backwards heavily on the fence.

"Sir I'm so sorry!" Toad said frantically, "I was trying to pass the ball to-"

"It's alright, calm down," Ghost gasped.

He clutched his side as another wave of pain worked its way through his body.

"I guess now's as good a time as any to go get this checked out eh?" Ghost said humorously to Roach.

Roach shook his head unable to hold back the smile.

"Come on mate, I'll go with you."

Ghost nodded and the two slowly made their way to the medical tent. Toad and the others tried to follow but Ghost waved them off.

"It's no big deal. You muppets are acting like I'm going to die. I don't think a ball is gonna take me out, now go back to your game."

As he continued to walk along with Roach, Ghost pulled his hand away from his side and to his dismay saw it covered with blood.

"Bloody wonderful." He mumbled to himself.

Roach looked down at Ghost's blood covered hand and winced.

"This could be a bit more serious than you thought."

Ghost shook his head.

"It'll be fine, the stitches just reopened is all."

"Well it was bound to happen anyway I guess," Roach responded, "you were ordered to get some rest and the next thing I know you're out walking about, and you even hit up the training course yesterday, which is shocking seeing as how you were nearly dead less than a week ago."

Ghost smiled.

"What can I say? I'm a badass mate!"

Roach chuckled.

"McTavish won't think you're too badass when he sees your wound is worse now instead of better."

Ghost grunted as the pain faded to uncomfortable throbbing.

"Do me a favor Roach. Don't tell McTavish about this. I really don't want to hear him nagging at me all over again."

Roach chuckled.

"All over again? When did he stop the first time?"

"Ha! Too right mate."

When they finally reached the medical tent Ghost's side was soaked with blood and two men- Roach figured they were the doctors- ceased their conversation and rushed over to assist Ghost. Roach followed them into the large tent, stood at a distance and watched as the two doctors cut open Ghost's shirt and slowly removed the bandages. Roach cringed as the wound was revealed. Blood was oozing out of the cut from where the stitches had been ripped open, and the skin around the injury was a purplish black color. The RPG had burned the skin off Ghost's side and the shrapnel had cause large gashes on top of the burn to make an already bad situation worse. Ghost covered his face with his hands in an effort to block out the pain as the doctors poked and probed at the open wound. Finally, one of them slid a needle into Ghost's arm and the pain instantly dulled. Ghost sighed and turned his head to Roach.

"How bad does it look?"

Roach shook his head.

"Pretty damn bad. Just looking at it is making me hurt."

Ghost didn't want to look at it. He didn't want to see the damage that had been done to him and more importantly, he didn't want Soap to see it either. The last thing he needed was to be stuck at the camp unable to do anything. That would only make him more vulnerable to the hallucinations and nightmares. No. He needed to be up and about as soon as possible.

"How long is this gonna take?" he asked the doctors.

One of them turned to him.

"You left too early last time sir, the stitches were slowly coming apart and it looks like you did something that strained them just enough so they would reopen. It won't take us too long to restitch the wound, but I have to ask that you stay in bed for a few days to make sure this doesn't happen again."

"Bloody 'ell." Ghost sighed.

"So much for McTavish not finding out eh?" Roach said.

Ghost let his arms hang off the bed and he sighed irritably again.

"Yea…that's my luck for ya." Ghost replied.

The thought of being stuck in a bed again made Ghost feel sick. And especially when Shephard had something he needed to tell them about the intel. He was probably going to be left behind again and he hated having to face that fact. Ghost wanted and needed to heal up fast, he sensed some serious shit was on the way and he wanted to be ready for it.


	12. Chapter 12

Ghost could sense it was growing late as he lay idly in his small bed. He had managed to talk the doctors into letting him rest in his own bed rather than the one in the medical tent, but being in his own bed did little to lighten his miserable mood. Ghost had agreed, after some convincing, to allow Roach to inform Soap of his condition. As Ghost predicted, Soap ordered him to remain in bed while he discussed the nature of the intel and more than likely the next mission with Shephard. Ghost hated being out of the loop. He knew Soap would let him know what was going on but he also knew the Captain wouldn't allow him to get involved until he was well enough. Ghost irritably tapped his fingers on the side of his bed. The doctors had offered to give him a drug to put him to sleep but Ghost immediately refused, not wanting any bad dreams to visit him. So now he was stuck in his room, alone, bored, frustrated, and slightly lonely. Ghost wished the meeting between Soap and Shephard would hurry up and end, not just so he could know what was going on, but just so he could simply talk to someone. He had been alone in his room for nearly three hours now and the desire to just get out of bed and go outside to find something to do was growing stronger. But he knew if he did that it would only make his condition worsen and then there would be no hope of him being in the field again anytime soon. He had already blew it once by being up and about when he wasn't supposed to be, and it only resulted in prolonging his suffering. Ghost was damned determined not to make the same mistake twice. Ghost sharply turned his head when his eyes caught movement at the entrance to his tent. Roach walked in carrying a small paper cup.

"How you feeling?" he asked.

Ghost smiled warmly at his friend.

"Bored, irritated, slightly claustrophobic, but mainly bored." He replied.

Roach pulled a small stool next to Ghost's bed and held the cup out to him.

"Fresh lemonade. Ice cold to. Figured you would want some before it was all gone."

"Thanks Roach." Ghost said as he reached out and gingerly took the cup.

Ghost winced as he sat up and Roach fixed the pillow behind the Lieutenant so he would be more comfortable. When Ghost got situated he thirstily drank the cool liquid. Roach was right, it was ice cold, but the brain freeze was worth it. Ghost couldn't remember the last time he had drank lemonade and this was pretty decent for a parched throat. When he finished drinking, Ghost crushed the cup and tossed it into a small trash can nearby and sighed in satisfaction.

"Did the doctor's say how long you needed to stay in bed for?" Roach asked.

"They said a few days. Hopefully I can move around sooner than that." Ghost replied.

"Don't count on it, Captain McTavish wasn't happy at all when I told him what happened. You're probably going to get a lecture when he gets here about how you need to take it easy and get some rest."

Ghost rolled his eyes.

"A lecture eh? Doubt it, I'll manage to work my way out of that somehow."

"How do you plan to do that?" Roach asked curiously.

"I don't plan mate, I just do. I'm bloody magical."

Roach couldn't hold back the laugh.

"Haha! Magical?"

"I know I know, the jealousy is almost overwhelming isn't it?" Ghost replied keeping a straight face.

"You didn't look to magical when you were nearly knocked out by a ball." Roach said amusingly.

"Aye! That ball came out of bloody nowhere!" Ghost said defensively.

Roach shook his head and continued to laugh as Ghost mumbled about how Roach was being a hater, and how jealous he was of Ghost's "magicalness". Their light conversation was interrupted as Soap stepped into the tent. He noted Roach's laughter and the casual glance Ghost threw at him.

"You better not be talking about me." The Scot said in a serious tone.

"Relax mate, we were through talking about you twenty minutes ago." Ghost replied.

Soap rolled his eyes and seated himself on the end of Ghost's bed, he unraveled some papers and began looking over them.

"What's that?" Ghost asked.

"What I came to talk to you about. New mission," Soap replied as he turned his attention to Roach who began to rise, "which you need to hear about too Roach, sit back down."

Soap looked back down at his papers as he began to speak.

"It seems Makarov has become more of a problem than we anticipated. Shephard is still in Afghanistan looking to recruit a man for some undercover operation, but that's not our concern at the moment. We have been ordered to head to a remote Russian airbase in the mountains of Kazakhstan."

"That bloody place again?" Ghost said irritably.

Soap nodded, "The Intel informed us of a downed satellite module and we have to get it back before they can make use of it. Shephard has ordered the mission to begin tomorrow. We head out at dawn."

Ghost nodded in Roach's direction.

"Make sure this one doesn't get into trouble. I know it'll be difficult as hell but at least try."

Roach smiled softly to himself and shook his head. Ghost loved picking on people, and Roach was his favorite target. But Roach didn't mind the teasing Ghost through at him. The others picked on him mainly because he was the "new guy", Ghost did it just out of good humor. Roach was waiting on the day where he could come up with a good comeback to shoot at the Lieutenant. He had watched several times as Ghost and Soap picked at one another when the atmosphere was relatively safe and relaxed and Roach enjoyed this. It was a nice change from the screaming drill sergeants he had to deal with while in training before he joined the Task Force.

"So what kind of undercover operation does Shephard have in mind?" Ghost asked.

"The intel informed us of an upcoming terrorist attack on a Russian airport being led by Vladimir Makarov. Shephard wants to send someone in to get close to Makorov in hopes of taking him down. If the mission goes well there's no reason for us to get involved. So right now we just have to focus on this ACS module."

Ghost nodded and yawned as Soap looked through the stack of papers, selected one, and held it out so the three of them could see it clearly.

"This is a basic blueprint of the airbase. There's a warehouse right here," Soap said as he pointed to an area on the paper, "That's where the module is more than likely being kept."

Ghost nodded as his eyes scanned over the blueprints.

"So you're going to climb the mountain right, and stick to the outskirts of the base then work yourself in right here," Ghost said as he pointed to a section near the landing strip, "That way you just continue to follow the outside of the base unseen and enter this warehouse from the side, and then you'll also be near the landing strip just in case."

"In case of what?" Roach piped up.

"In case there's a need for plan B mate," Ghost replied, "That way if McTavish here feels a need to plant C4, there's plenty of aircraft to stick it to. Bet it'll make a nice boom when you need it."

"I found something better than aircraft Ghost, look here," Soap said as he pointed to the southwest corner of the landing strip, "There's a fueling station here, bet that'll make an even better boom."

Ghost smiled mischievously.

"Too right mate."

Soap rose from Ghost's bed and looked down at Roach.

"You have the rest of the day to get ready Roach; we head out early in the morning."

"Yes sir." Roach replied as Soap excited the tent.

Ghost yawned again then slowly slid back down into his bed and folded his arms behind his head.

"I have a feeling this time is going to be as easy as the last." Roach said.

"You'll do fine, I know that and Soap knows that, that's why he's taking you." Ghost replied.

"But this is the second mission in a row, and the other guys have more experience than me."

Ghost chuckled.

"They may have more experience in the field, but you have more skill. Have a little faith in yourself mate."

Roach nodded and began to rise.

"Thanks Ghost. I'm going to let you get some rest now, you look tired."

Ghost did feel tired, but he didn't want to sleep, and although he wanted Roach to stay, he wouldn't ask him to. The last thing he wanted to do was explain how he was scared to fall asleep alone. Ghost felt like one of Freddy Krugar's victims off _Nightmare on Elm Street_, only it wasn't Freddy who was screwing with him.

"Alright mate, stop by before you head out will ya?"

Roach nodded in agreement then disappeared behind the tent flaps.

"Great," Ghost sighed softly, "Bloody alone again…"


	13. Chapter 13

When Ghost opened his eyes he was greeted by utter darkness. He was still in his bed but his ankles and wrists were chained to the posts. Immediately he began to struggle, the chains clacking against the sturdy wood of his bed. After a few moments before he realized there was no escaping, Ghost relaxed and his eyes darted around the pitch blackness that surrounded him.

"This has to be a dream," Ghost whispered to himself, "Or a hallucination…"

"How can you be so sure?" A voice answered him from the shadows. Ghost's muscles tensed as he recognized the voice.

"Vernon." He hissed.

The man stepped out of the darkness. He was fairly tall, about Soap's height, and he was built, he would probably do well in a match with Ghost, which Ghost knew from his experience when he was forced to fight the man in a deathmatch back in Mexico. Ghost couldn't bring himself to kill Vernon then, but now he wished he wasn't chained up, he wouldn't hesitate to rip the man's face off with his bare hands for betraying him.

"Hello Riley," Vernon said as he approached Ghost's bed.

Ghost began to struggle with his bonds again in an effort to break free.

"There's no use doing that. You're not going anywhere." Vernon said with a smirk.

Ghost stopped struggling again and glared up at the man who once, Ghost wouldn't have hesitated to hand over his soul to. The man that betrayed him and his entire team. The man that had assisted in his four months of torture. The man that Ghost wished he could have killed when he had the chance, but instead let him live just so Roba could off him the next day. And now this man stood in front of Ghost as a ghost of his own past. Or rather a demon, which was more of an appropriate name after what he had done.

"I have Roba mind-fucking me and now I have to deal with you too?" Ghost said through clenched teeth.

"I'm here to warn you. The only way to get rid of these hallucinations and nightmares is to listen and rise above what's to come." Vernon answered.

"Like you warned me about a rat in the group and made me believe it was someone rather than you to get the suspicion of your back. Your dead Vernon, and this is a dream…well… more of a bloody nightmare since you're here."

Vernon came closer and Ghost tried to lunge at him but the chains kept him held in place.

"I should be the reason why you shouldn't trust anyone Riley. You're putting your life in the hands of someone now who is later going to take advantage of that. You're going to end up in a ditch Riley…just like me."

Ghost shook his head disbelievingly.

"Even if there was a slight chance I would believe your bullshit, why would you warn me anyway? Is this your pathetic idea of redemption?"

"I wronged you Riley. I thought you would give in and join Roba and work by my side but you never did, so you and I both became Roba's enemies. I brought my death on myself, and now I'm trying to save you." Vernon replied.

Ghost couldn't help but chuckling and he collapsed back into the bed and let his arms relax off the chains that had begun to cut into his flesh.

"You're trying to save me? That's hilarious. From who exactly?"

"From your new commander. He seems like a trustworthy and noble person but he's out for blood Riley, and your nothing to him. You're a pawn in his game and that's all."

"I have several people I take orders from, I'd like a name seeing as how I'm stuck listening to you." Ghost relied.

"I gave you more than a name, I gave you a face." Vernon said and then he began walking back into the darkness.

"What?" Ghost said frustrated, "What the bloody 'ell are you talking about?"

But Vernon was gone and Ghost suddenly felt like he was falling. He found himself unable to breath, like he was being thrust into another dimension or another world. There was whispering all around him but he couldn't make out the words, and when Ghost tried to look around he found is hands were no longer chained up but he still couldn't move. Finally the blackness dispersed and flames evaporated out of nowhere consuming Ghost's entire body. The pain felt real. Too real, and Ghost couldn't move or cry out for help as the fire ate through his clothes and began to melt the skin of his bones. This worse pain Ghost had ever experienced and he wished more than anything that he would wake up, or at least die so it would end.

"Ghost!"

Ghost's eyes snapped open and he quickly sat up in his bed and began looking around frantically. He was back in his own tent again and Roach was standing next to him, watching him with an apologizing expression.

"Sorry sir, didn't mean to startle you…" he said as he caught the wild look in Ghost's eyes.

Ghost ignored Roach and lifted his shirt. There were no burns or marks, just the fresh bandages covering his side. He pulled his shirt back down and checked his wrists. No cuts from the chains.

"What the _hell?"_ Ghost said to himself.

"Ghost… are you okay?" Roach said.

Ghost looked up at him as if noticing him for the first time. He had managed to slow down his frantic breathing and quickly wiped the sweat that was beading on his forehead. He couldn't take these horrid nightmares much longer.

"I'm fine Roach…I think…" Ghost said quietly.

Roach watched him for a moment and was about to speak when Ghost suddenly rose out of bed and slipped his boots on.

"You guys are about to leave aren't you? I'm going to grab a quick word with Soap before you do."

"You sure it's a good idea to be moving around?" Roach asked.

Ghost grabbed his mask and slipped it on.

"I'm not glass Roach, I won't break. I think I can handle a five minute walk."

"Well, we aren't heading towards the basketball court so I guess you're right."

Ghost chuckled from behind his mask and clasped Roach's shoulder.

"Come on ya blighter let's go." He said.

Ghost stepped out of his tent with Roach closely behind and made his way to the helicopter that was starting up. Soap was standing next to it, loading his and Roach's gear. He looked up at Ghost and Roach as they approached.

"Didn't I tell you to stay in bed?" he said in mock frustration as Ghost stepped up.

"Yeah," Ghost agreed, "But I can't tell your Scottish arse to be careful from there now can I?"

Soap shook his head and handed the last bag of supplies to Roach who was standing inside the chopper. He straightened up and placed a hand on the side of the helicopter.

"I outta beat some respect back into you." He said.

Ghost smiled behind his mask and laid a hand on Soap's shoulder.

"I'd rather you didn't, I really don't want to be stuck in bed any longer than I already am."

"Sir, it's time to head out." The chopper gunner yelled over the sound of the rotor blades. Soap nodded to him and Ghost gave the Captain's shoulder a friendly pat.

"Good luck Soap." Ghost said. Soap returned the shoulder pat and climbed into the chopper.

"Watch your back out there mate," Ghost called to Roach, "and try not to have an accident on those cliffs."

Roach smiled and gave Ghost a thumbs up as the helicopter rose into the air. Ghost watched it disappear into the night then slowly turned and made his way back to his tent. He reflected on the warning Vernon had given him. Was it an actual message or was Ghost's mind screwing with him and making these images and messages up?

"A face? What the hell was he talking about…" Ghost whispered to himself.

Absentmindedly, Ghost turned his head to gaze at the other three choppers that were sitting on the airstrip, fueled, loaded, and ready for use. Ghost slowly stopped walking as he remembered running to this place in his last nightmare when he believed Soap and Roach were in danger. There, Vernon had appeared and attacked him. But…he had Shephard's voice, and Vernon's face had become Shephard's before Ghost woke up. Ghost stood there for a moment taking this realization in before he shook his head and laughed, the headed back into his tent.


	14. Chapter 14

Thanks for reading guys and for all the motivational reviews! The story has just begun and I'm going to go ahead and leak out that I plan to kill a major and liked character! Gotta keep ya hooked :P

Ghost slowly stretched his body as he woke. It had been only a few hours since Soap and Roach had left but it was arguably the best few hours of sleep Ghost had gotten in over a week. The Lieutenant knew the rest of the force would be up and about soon and he began to debate whether or not he should attempt to train them today. Cautiously, Ghost lifted his left arm and stretched to the right. He didn't get far before pain began to consume his side. Ghost sighed and relaxed his arm and side. Looks like no training was getting done today. Ghost didn't want to work the men if he couldn't join in with them. Ghost maneuvered so he was sitting up on the edge of his bed. Right now he was craving a nice long hot shower and a good breakfast. He rose and grabbed some clean clothes and a towel and stepped out of his tent and headed towards the bathhouse. Ghost inhaled deeply as he walked through the camp. He loved that fresh morning air and just breathing it in seemed to revitalize him. There was little activity around the camp, Soap being away and Ghost being restricted to little movement gave everyone the feeling of being on vacation. But Ghost would change that, as soon as his stitches were removed and he was back to his old self, which included the nightmares and hallucinations being gone as well. Vernon had said something about they would only go away if Ghost listened and overcame what was going to happen. But what was going to happen exactly? And how did that have anything to do with Roba terrorizing Ghost when he got the chance? None of it made sense, especially how these nightmares had started up again in the first place. Ghost always remembered what happened every time he gazed into the mirror and spotted his scar. But never had the memories affected him in such a way as when he was at death's door. The simplicity of hearing his dead mother's voice had sent him on a mental spiral downwards and now Roba and Vernon had somehow managed to screw with his head as well. Or was it just Ghost's imagination making this all up? Ghost shook his head to clear it and ran a hand through his hair. Never in his life had he been so confused. He couldn't tell what was real or made up and he didn't know how to make it all go away. He couldn't take any kind of medicine or he would be considered unfit to be in the Task Force, and if that happened what was he suppose to do? Ghost had nothing outside this life. This _was_ his life, and as shitty as that was he was content with that. This is what he was born to do and he would do it until he breathed his last breath. Ghost stepped into the fairly small bathhouse. There were six small stalls, three on each side that had nothing more than a bench inside. Ghost stepped inside the first one on the right and pulled the curtain closed behind him. He was glad that the showers allowed everyone to have a bit of privacy, because as he slid his shirt over his head and peeled off his bandages he couldn't help but cringe at the sight of it. The skin was a purple black color around the stitches and a bright red where he had been burned. There were also a few disgusting blisters that had formed. Ghost gently touched the wound and winced when it rebelled at the contact. Seems his shower was going to be a bit painful. Ghost stripped off the rest of his clothes and turned the water on. There was a clean wash cloth, liquid soap, and shampoo sitting on a small shelf under the shower head. Ghost squeezed some soap into the cloth and scrubbed the dirt and sweat off his body. He wondered how Soap and Roach were doing and how events would unfold as Makarov gained more power. Ghost felt the Task Force was going to get an increase in activity as things got more dangerous with this terrorist. As Ghost stepped under the water to rinse off the soap slid down his side and onto the wound causing him to grit his teeth at the pain. It quickly faded and he realized his shower wouldn't be as painful as he thought. Ghost reached for the shampoo, squirted some in his hands, and began working it into his short dark brown hair. He heard someone walk into the bathhouse and get into the shower next to him. It seems the rest of the force was beginning to wake up. Ghost began rinsing the shampoo out of his hair and when it was all out he just stood under the water for a moment and let it pour over his body. The warm water was relaxing and it did well at calming his nerves. Ghost closed his eyes and let his head fall back to allow the water to run over his face. He could stand under this shower for hours. Ghost's moment was ruined when the man in the next shower began singing completely off key to the point Ghost couldn't even recognize the song. Rolling his eyes, Ghost turned off the water and snatched his towel off the bench. The horrid singing got louder as Ghost dried off. Ghost threw his towel on the bench and reached for his clothes.

"Christ, will you shut it until I leave?" he called out.

The singing died out to a hum and the Lieutenant chuckled as he slid his clean shirt over his head. Once he was dressed, Ghost threw his towel over his shoulders and walked out of the bathhouse. He figured he would grab a bite to eat and now would be the best time to organize his thoughts. He needed to figure out if he was losing his mind or if these images had some sort of meaning.

Sergeant Gary "Roach" Sanderson

Captain John "Soap" McTavish

Kazakhstan

The noise of the MiG-29 flying by startled Roach and he pressed himself back up against the ice behind him. He turned his attention to Soap who was crouched next to him, slowly exhaling a cloud of smoke. Soap turned his head and met Roach's eyes as he flicked his cigar off the ledge and motioned with his head for them to continue.

"Break's over Roach. Let's go."

Roach instantly rose to his feet and followed as Soap carefully scaled the cliff's icy edge. Soap paused and gazed up at the wall of ice above them. Seemingly satisfied, he withdrew two ice picks and slammed the tip of one into the ice.

"Stay here and spot me. Wait for my go." Soap ordered, and then he began climbing, slamming one pick after the other into the barrier of ice. Roach nervously watched from his position below.

"Alright the ice is good, follow me." Soap called to him.

Roach quickly took out his ice picks and began following Soap's path. It was a strenuous process, but of either of them stopped for too long the ice would give out and they would fall to their deaths. A faraway noise caught Roach's attention and he looked up. To his horror a jet flew over head disturbing the ice and snow and momentarily throwing Soap off balance, but the captain quickly regained his footing and continued. In a matter of minutes they were both safe at the top. Soap flexed his shoulders and turned to Roach.

"Good luck mate, I'll see you on the far side." He said.

Roach prayed that Soap didn't mean what he thought he meant, but unfortunately he did. Without another word, Soap took a running start and leaped off the cliff, lashed out with his ice picks, and securely hooked himself on the side of the cliff. Roach could only watch from the other side. Would he really have to do this shit? His mental question was confirmed when Soap beckoned to him from where he was hanging.

"Ok." Roach whispered to himself.

Like Soap, he took a running start and leaped off the cliff. When Roach's picks met the ice they didn't hook, they slid. Roach's heart caught in his throat as one of his pick's hooked and he was dangling from the edge of the cliff.

"Hold on! Don't let go!" He heard Soap call from above.

_This is why I hate fucking heights! _Roach mentally screamed as finally, the ice beneath his one pick, his life line, gave out. In the split second of the ice disappearing, Soap's hand appeared and strongly grabbed Roach's wrist. Roach looked up at his Captain with such relief and thankfulness he could hug him. Soap gave him a small smirk then motion toward the ledge with his head before tossing him upward like a rag doll. Roach instantly latched onto the cliff with his picks and climbed with a renewed strength. There was no way in hell he was doing that shit again anytime soon.

"You alright?" Soap said from behind him.

Roach turned to his Captain and gave him a shaky nod. He was a little freaked, but he knew he needed to get it together. They were very close to the base and very close to the enemy. Roach took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled to calm his nerves from his near death experience.

"Roach. Check you heartbeat sensor." Soap said as he kneeled down next to the younger man.

Roach obeyed and gazed at the blue screen in front of him.

"You should be able to see me on the scope. The blue dot is me. Any unrecognized contacts will show up as white dots."

Soap turned and began to walk away and Roach followed close behind. Soap was mentally following the path Ghost had shown him on the blueprints of the area. There should be an entrance nearby where they could sneak inside and get to the fueling station that was somewhere to the northeast of their location. Soap looked down at his heartbeat sensor as two white dots registered nearby. Soap stopped and kneeled and Roach crouched next to him. The two guards were visible up ahead.

"Roach, these muppets have no idea we're here. Let's take this nice and slow. You take the one on the left on three. One…two..three."

Two suppressed bullets shot out and both guards fell limply to the ground.

"Nicely done." Soap praised.

The two continued until the entrance to the base was in view. Nearby there were two more guards.

"Same plan. On three."

The two men fell as Soap reached "three" and they continued.

"Let's split up," Soap suddenly said as he cut away from Roach's side and climbed a nearby ledge, "I'll use the thermal scope and provide cover from this ridge. Use the cover of the storm to enter the base."

Roach didn't like the idea of going it alone, but he headed away from Soap and crouched behind a jeep near the entrance.

"You'll be a ghost in this blizzard, so the guards won't see you until your very close," Roach heard Soap say softly in the microphone in his ear, "Keep an eye on your heartbeat sensor. Good luck."

Roach was about to move when he heard a slight beep. He gazed down and saw a white dot headed his way. The enemy came into view and Roach lifted his ACR.

"He's mine." Soap's voice said in Roach's ear.

Roach watched from his position as blood sprayed from the man's head and he collapsed to the ground. Roach began to move. Another white dot appeared on his sensor and he waited for the man to come closer. When he came into sight Roach aimed and took the man out with a shot to the head.

"Nice kill." The earpiece rang.

Roach spotted the airstrip in front of him and was about to cross when Soap barked a warning into his ear.

"There's a truck coming! Stay out of sight."

Roach instantly dropped to the ground between a dumpster and a building and watched through a small crack between the two obstructions as the truck slowly drove by. Roach was about to move on when he heard Soap's voice again.

"Stay down!" he hissed.

Confused, Roach complied and then realized why. A large group of about five men were headed straight towards him. But they were coming towards the side of the dumpster where Roach would be in complete view. His only hope was to stay still, stay quiet and hope to God he wasn't spotted. Roach pressed against the side of the building as the voices of the men got louder. Roach held his breath as booted feet walked by, only a couple of feet from his face. One man stopped right in front of him and dropped a cigar to the ground. Roach's heart was pounding in his head. If that man looked down and slightly to the right, Roach would be spotted, and if he was spotted, it was over for him.

"Just keep calm and don't move." Soap whispered to him.

The man firmly pressed his foot into the still burning cigar, but he remained in place. He slowly moved his head around, scanning the area. Before his gaze could rest on Roach who was two feet away to his right, someone else from the group looked over and called to him. Instantly the man walked towards the group and away from Roach. Roach laid his head in the snow and slowly let out the air he had been holding in. That was _too_ close.

"Come on Roach, you have to keep moving. Find the fueling station in the northeast section of the runway."

"Roger that." Roach replied shakily and then rose to his feet.

Roach looked down at his heartbeat sensor. It was clear. He gazed around the side of the building to see how far the group was. They were barely visible and heading the opposite way, there was no need to be concerned about them for the moment. Roach continued along the side of the building and paused at the corner.

"You're clear Roach. I'm not picking up any heat signatures around your position." Soap piped up in Roach's ear.

Roach stealthily walked out into the open area of the runway. Once he set foot on the slick pavement he began walking casually. Roach figured that he would look a bit more inconspicuous if he pretended he belonged there. Within minutes Roach came upon a large tank sitting beside the runway.

"That's the fueling station. You've found it." Soap's voice rang in his earpiece.

Roach quickly planted the C4 on the side of the large tank and once he was finished Soap rose from his position and quickly made his way downhill towards their point of entry.

"I've tapped into their comms and I'm picking up radio traffic about the satellite. Stand by."

Roach crouched next to the large tank and focused on his heartbeat sensor as he waited for Soap's commands.

"Got it," Soap said suddenly, "Seems we were right, it's in the far hangar. Race you there. Oscar Mike out."

Roach smirked and quickly moved towards Soap's location. Roach made it off the airstrip without any problems and dove behind a few barrels as the jeep from earlier came towards him. Once the vehicle passed he continued to his Captain's location. Soap whipped around, gun drawn, when Roach jumped up beside him. Soap shook his head and lowered his gun.

"Took you long enough."

"Thought I'd take the scenic route." Roach replied.

Soap shook his head and walked over to a side door.

"Let's go."

Soap slowly opened the door and walked inside. Roach walked in backwards, gun at the ready to make sure they weren't being followed, once they were both inside he silently closed the door behind them. Roach turned back around and froze when he saw a man standing in front of a locker. He watched as Soap crept up behind him then roughly slammed his face into the locker. Roach ran up as they both fell to the ground, but Soap didn't need any help. He drew his combat knife and ran it deep into the man. His body went limp and Soap wiped the blood on the dead man's jacket. The Captain rose and continued into the large warehouse. There was some large piece of machinery in the middle of the floor and Soap walked over to analyze it.

"Go upstairs and look for the ACS module." Soap said as he kneeled next to the machine. Soap heard Roach run up the stairs behind him and he continued to look over the large object. This could be important, he should take a few pictures to bring back to Shephard. Suddenly the large metal door in front of Soap slid open revealing about ten armed men. Soap slowly rose and raised his hands.

"Roach," Soap says softly into his throat piece, "I've been compromised. Keep a low profile and hold your fire."

"This is Major Petrov!" An accented voice yelled loudly, "Come out with your hands up! You have five seconds to comply!"

Soap swallowed as the countdown began.

"Roach, go to plan B." Soap instructed softly.

"Three! Two!"

The enemy fell to the ground as a huge explosion erupted from the airstrip behind. Soap quickly raised his gun and took out five of the men including Major Petrov as he ran to the corner of the inside of the hangar for cover. He watched in satisfaction as the others fell from bullets from behind before Roach's presence was beside him. The two Task Force members fought side by side in the hangar shooting everyone in sight. Finally Soap figured it was clear enough to start moving.

"Roach! Follow me, let's go!"Soap yelled over the sound of gunfire.

The two of the sprinted across the snow covered ground and ducked down behind a cement wall.

"Head for that MiG, I'll cover you!"

Roach ran to the jet sitting nearby and was forced to shield his face as the aircraft exploded. Roach took cover behind a piece of the wing and covered Soap as he ran from his cover.

"To the east Roach, go!" Soap's voice yelled into his ear.

Roach quickly rose and followed his Captain, ignoring the bullets that whistled by him. They both slid down a snowy hill and kneeled at the bottom, guns raised. Men began appearing at the top of the hill and Soap and Roach picked them all off one by one.

_Oh shit._ Roach thought to himself as three snowmobiles appeared at the top of the hill. Roach raised his gun and took out the men on the first one as the other two raced down the hill towards them. Soap lashed out with his ice pick, hooking the driver of one in the chest, and yanked him off the vehicle. Roach turned away from the scene and shot down the men on the other snowmobile that was following behind.

"Roach, take that snowmobile, let's get the hell out of here!"

Roach didn't hesitate at the command. He leaped on the small vehicle and hit the gas.

"Kilo Six-One, the primary extract point is compromised! We're en route to the backup LZ using enemy transport! Meet us there! Over!" Soap said.

"Bravo Six, this is Kilo Six-One, roger that, out." The reply came.

"More tangos at the rear! Just outrun them go!" Soap yelled to Roach.

Roach slowed to avoid hitting trees or losing control and Soap sped pass him.

"Don't slow down! Keep moving or your dead!" Soap ordered.

Roach squeezed the throttle to catch up with his Captain. Roach ducked down as a bullet nearly grazed his ear. His heart began to beat extremely fast at the thought that they may not make it.

"Bravo Six, we're at bingo fuel. What's your status, over?"

"Kilo Six-One, we're taking heavy fire but we're almost there! Standby!"

Soap and Roach's snowmobile gained a bit of air as it went over a large hump. Roach leaned down as they began driving down a quite steep hill. Suddenly something ahead caught his attention.

"Soap…" Roach said.

"What is it?"

"Ahead."

There was a moment of silence as the two came closer to a large gorge ahead of them separating them from their extraction point. That definitely was not on the blue prints Soap had.

"Just pin the throttle, keep going!" Soap finally replied.

They didn't have a choice. They had to make the jump. Roach closed his eyes and squeezed the throttle with all his might as his and Soap's snowmobile took to the air. Time seemed to slow as Roach opened his eyes and looked under him at the endless drop beneath. If they didn't make it…that would be a long ass fall. But Roach realized they did as both snowmobiles slammed into the snow on the other side of the gorge.

"Bravo Six we have you on visual. Get your ass on board! We're running on fumes here!"

Breathless and exhausted, Soap and Roach leaped of the snowmobiles and ran into the nearest helicopter. As the helicopter took off Roach laid his head back on his seat trying to shake off the adrenaline that was still coursing throughout his body. He looked over at Soap who was sitting next to him as the Captain gave him a nudge.

"You did good out there mate. Get some rest. You deserve it." Soap said.

"Thank you sir." Roach replied as he shut his eyes. Roach sighed and wished Ghost would hurry up and heal. Roach thought he was going to have a heart attack having to sneak around that base and then nearly getting caught. Roach smiled to himself, he would leave the crazy sneaky shit to a ghost from here on out.


	15. Chapter 15

"When do you think these stitches can come out doc?" Ghost asked.

Ghost had decided to head to the medical tent after he had dinner. The sun was beginning to set over the camp and the Lieutenant sensed that his Captain would be returning soon from the mission in Kazakhstan. Ghost hid the wince as the doctor removed the bandages from his side and looked over the wound.

"It's still too soon. We usually leave them in for about a week but since you've been taking it easy for the past couple of days you seem to be healing quickly. Maybe they can come out in a couple more days," the doctor replied, "let's leave the bandages off so air can get to the wound. Just be careful Lieutenant."

Ghost smirked in response. "Careful" was a word he didn't really abide by.

"Ghost!"

Ghost looked up from his grisly wound as he heard his name. It was Archer, and he was standing at the entrance to the tent.

"Sir, the chopper will be here in five minutes."

Ghost nodded and quickly reached for his shirt.

"Thanks doc." Ghost said as he slipped his shirt over his head and pulled it down over his chest and abs. The doctor gave Ghost a slight nod and moved away from the bed so Ghost could stand up. Ghost slid his sunglasses over his eyes completing his eerie masked look and headed out of the tent. Before Ghost even got within twenty feet away from the med tent, the helicopter appeared shortly after the first traces of its rotor blades were heard. Ghost looked up at the bird as he walked to the landing zone. Hopefully Roach and Soap both were unscathed. His thoughts were quickly answered as Soap and Roach both quickly exited the chopper and headed his way. Before Ghost could get a word out Soap grabbed his arm and dragged the Lieutenant with him.

"Just got word from Shephard. Some serious shit has happened and he's on his way to meet with us." Soap said as they walked briskly to the main tent.

"It's bloody good to see you too," Ghost mumbled.

Soap released Ghost's arm and looked over at Roach.

"Roach, go get washed up and grab some food. I'll update you later."

Roach nodded silently and broke away from Ghost's side. Ghost watched him go and gazed over at Soap who had not slowed his pace.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked.

"A messaged was patched in on the way back to base. The undercover mission Shephard had planned was a failure and somehow sparked a war between the US and Russia." Soap replied.

Ghost was stunned into silence. How could this have happened? Dread quickly clouded Ghost's mind as he quickened his pace to match Soap's. Seems the Task Force's lazy days were over. The two men entered the main tent and Ghost hung back as Soap radioed Shephard's chopper. As the Captain attempted to communicate with the General, Ghost slowly walked over to the large map sprawled across a long table in the middle of the tent. He ran a hand over the smooth canvas material as he heard Soap's voice behind him, but Ghost wasn't listening to the conversation. He was thinking about this war that had so suddenly been sparked. He knew without a doubt Shephard would order the Task Force to take out Makarov, and he knew without a doubt that some of his men were going to lose their lives. What could have possibly gone wrong? From what he had heard, Shephard didn't have the slightest doubt that his scheme would succeed, and now, the most horrible aspect of man had begun. All because Shephard was dancing on razor blades with his "ingenious" plan and got cut in the process.

"Shephard should be here in about ten minutes." Ghost heard Soap say behind him.

Ghost turned and leaned back against the table behind him. Soap was sitting in a small chair across from him rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with his right hand. Soap blinked to clear his vision then looked up at Ghost who was still watching him.

"What?" Soap asked.

Ghost slid his sunglasses off and slipped them into his pocket.

"I was hoping you would tell me how the operation went." Ghost replied.

"Oh yeah," Soap sighed, "To be honest, I'm surprised we both got out of there alive."

Ghost crossed his arms.

"What do you mean?"

"It was close mate. When we got the ACS in our hands I was compromised. Luckily that Plan B came into good use, it saved our asses. But the whole operation from beginning to end felt like a suicide mission. I'm glad its over."

"Neither of you are hurt?" Ghost asked.

Soap shook his head.

"Apart from a few bruises and scratches we're fine. How's your side?"

Ghost uncrossed his arms and placed his hands on the table behind him.

"Doc says the stitches can come out in a couple of days if all goes well."

Soap nodded.

"Good. Cause if things go the way I think they will, I'm gonna need you."

Ghost grabbed the top of his balaclava and pulled it off with one quick movement. He ran a hand through his short dark hair and sighed. Soap liked it better when he could see his Lieutenant's face when they talked. When his face was hidden behind his mask, Ghost's expressions were unreadable, and Soap had to guess by the sound of his voice what he was feeling and thinking. But when the mask was off, no amount of training Ghost had to keep a blank expression could keep Soap from reading him like an open book.

"You and I both know the way things are going to go mate. We don't need to hear Shephard talk about the bloody mess headed our way to know about it." Ghost said after a moment.

Soap nodded in agreement. Ghost suddenly straightened up as he heard the distant sounds of another approaching helicopter.

"That's him." Ghost said as he slid his mask and sunglasses back on.

Soap rose and followed Ghost out of the tent and to the heli pad. As Ghost walked beside him, Soap monitored his movements. Ghost did seem to be healing quickly, he wasn't breathing heavily nor did his body language announce any signs of pain. This was a huge relief, as Soap was scared the damage that had been done would cause some permanent problems for Ghost, but luckily, he seemed to be fine. Physically at least…mentally…that was another story altogether. Soap made a mental note to ask Ghost about any nightmares and such he may have had recently. There was some serious stuff headed their way, and he needed his right hand man in top condition. Soap's biggest fear was that Ghost was going mad. Ghost had been through and seen too much for his age and it all happened not too long ago. The slightest connection to his past could have all those memories come flooding back and the amount of stress he had suffered would come back as well. Soap knew that torture could easily break a man, but to have your entire family slaughtered on top of that and then be framed for it? That would be enough to destroy a soul. Ghost was strong, but there was a limit to everyone's strength, and even though he had done well to repress the memories of his terrible past and begin his healing process, he would never fully heal from the trauma of what he went through. And at any moment he could take a turn for the worst, and Soap feared he would accidently harm someone or purposely harm himself. Soap turned his attention away from Ghost and to General Shephard as he exited the helicopter and stood before them.

"Captain McTavish and Lieutenant Riley, it's good to see you both." He said.

Soap nodded.

"It's good to see you too sir."

Shephard clasped both of their shoulders and ushered them to the main tent.

"Let's get to a private place so I can fill you gentlemen in on what's happening."

Ghost sighed as the pictures played out in front of him and Soap on a large projector. They were shots of Joseph Allen's body, a man about Roach's age and freshly pulled from the American special operations force aka the Army Rangers. He hadn't been a member of the Task Force 141 longer than 24 hours before his operation went south and he was gunned down by his target, Makarov. There were more pictures, mainly of the American guns left behind and of the countless bodies if Russian civilians scattered around the airport. This wasn't a failure, it was a horrific disaster.

"The Russians ain't gonna let this massacre go unanswered. It's gonna get bloody." Ghost said softly as the pictures replayed before their eyes.

"Too right, mate," Soap replied, "Now, in the eyes of the world, they're the victims. No one's gonna say a word when the Russians club every American they can reach."

"Makarov was one move ahead," Shephard said from behind them, "Now he's left thousands of bodies at the feet of an American."

"And we're the only one's who know it was Makarov's op," Soap sighed as he massaged his temples, "Our credibility died with Allen. We need proof."

"We need to find Makarov." Ghost said.

"Follow the shell," Shephard said as he clicked a button on the remote he was holding. The screen shifted to an image of Rio de Janerio, Brazil. Photos of several men appeared, and one of a small man appeared in the middle, "Alejandro Rojas."

"Never heard of him sir." Soap said.

"You know him as Alex the Red. He supplied the assault." Shephard replied.

"Then he's our ticket to Makarov." Soap stated.

The screen switched off and Shephard flicked on the lights.

"Ready up a team Captain. You head to Rio de Janerio first thing tomorrow. You need to find Rojas, and make him talk."

Soap rose and glanced down at Ghost before he looked back up at the General.

"Won't be a problem for the 141 sir."


	16. Chapter 16

Ghost clutched the steering wheel tighter as he gazed out across the bustling streets of Rio de Janerio. They had been sitting in this beat up old van for over an hour now waiting for Soap to get a lead on Rojas' location. Ghost looked back at Meat and Royce who were seated behind him, fumbling with their weapons and nervously looking out the windows of the van to scan the crowd in hopes of finding Rojas or his assistants. Ghost sighed and turned his attention to the street in front of him again. At least it wasn't too hot, else he would definitely lose his patience cooped up in this van. They had gotten a tag number for a vehicle that could possibly be used to transport weapons from Rojas. But the vehicle could be any kind and any color. Ghost sighed again as his eyes darted from person to person trying to locate Rojas' face in the crowd. There were children and woman in the area, so he hoped they could apprehend Rojas without bullets flying.

"Ghost, tailing a white van. The tags match." Soap's voice suddenly rang out in Ghost's, Meat's, and Royce's earpieces.

_Finally, _Ghost thought to himself as he reached for his ACR lying in the seat beside him.

"Copy. Any sign of Rojas' right hand man?" Ghost asked hopefully.

"Negative. They've stopped twice already. No sign of him." Soap replied.

Ghost was about to crank up the van and drive to their position when Soap piped up again.

"Wait, they've stopped again. Standby."

Ghost turned to Meat and Royce.

"Get ready." He ordered softly.

Ghost turned back to the front as he heard guns being loaded and shuffling behind him.

"Got a positive ID! Whoever these guys are, they're not happy to see him." Soap said.

Ghost cranked up the van and started slowly driving through the crowd so they could park and exit the vehicle without being seen. The last thing they needed to do was cause a panic amongst the civilians.

"Ghost, we have a situation here!" Soap suddenly yelled.

Ghost felt fear grasp his throat as he heard gunfire not far away from them.

"Go! Let's go! Now, let's move!" Ghost yelled to Royce and Meat as he leaped out of the vehicle. The two Task Force members quickly exited the vehicle and followed closely behind.

"Soap, talk to me!" Ghost said into his mic.

"Ghost, our driver's dead! We're on foot! Meet us at the Hotel Rio and cut him off if you can!" Soap replied.

"Roger, I'm on my way." Ghost said as he picked up the speed.

The Hotel Rio was right in front of him and as he came charging into the open, he spotted Rojas' assistant running towards him. The men stumbled and quickly turned and booked it into an alley nearby as he saw Ghost's masked face focus on him and take aim.

"He went into the alley!" Ghost yelled as he tailed Rojas.

"Non-lethal takedowns only! We need him alive!" Soap said.

Ghost quickly looked behind him to see that Roach and Soap had caught up and were now joining in on the chase. The team turned a corner to see Rojas' assistant about to get away.

"Roach- take the shot! Go for his leg!" Soap said.

Ghost dropped down to his knee and took aim in case Roach missed, but there was no need. There was a gunshot and a spray of blood from the man's left calf before he fell face first to the ground.

"He's down." Soap said relieved.

Ghost slowly rose and made his way to the now crawling man. Ghost was about to reach down to life the man up when he suddenly whipped around and took aim at Ghost's head. Ghost had never loved his reflexes more than now. Without the slightest hesitation Ghost grabbed the man's wrist and jerked it to the right as he pulled the trigger. Ghost's right ear rang from the loud explosion from the gun, but he ignored it as he continued to twist the wrist until Rojas' assistant cried out in pain and dropped the gun. Ghost quickly grabbed the weapon and rose. He pulled the headset off his head and rubbed his right ear in an attempt to get the horrid ringing to stop.

"Ghost!"

Ghost turned as Soap and the rest of the team ran up to him.

"Jesus, are you alright?" Soap asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. The little twit doesn't know when to give up though."

Meat and Royce heaved Rojas' assistant to his feet as Roach came beside Ghost.

Soap looked up the hill and noticed a small empty garage.

"Follow me," He said to Meat and Royce, then turned to Roach, "Roach, I need for you to find me a car battery. Head back to the town square and get the battery from the car we were in, but stay sharp."

"Yes sir." Roach replied as he turned and jogged back.

Ghost followed Soap up the hill and instantly jumped up a small concrete wall and stepped into the warehouse. He found a chair sitting in the corner and smiled when he realized it was made of steel. Ghost dragged the chair to the middle of the room as Soap and Royce lifted the struggling man into the building. Ghost roughly grabbed the man's shoulders and pulled him backwards into the chair. The man struggled as Ghost held him in place and Soap bound his arms and legs to the chair.

"Let me go! I know nothing!" the man yelled.

"Shut up, I'll tell you when you can talk." Ghost said irritably.

"I've done nothing! Let me go!" he man continued to yell.

"You've done nothing? You supplied the weapons for a terrorist attack on a Russian airport. You might as well have killed those people yourself." Ghost said in disgust.

Ghost looked up from the man's fearful gaze as Roach ran up to them with a car battery in tow. Soap reached for it then handed it off to Ghost. Ghost placed the battery on a small table nearby and began sparking the battery cables. The man began struggling furiously as Ghost turned to him.

"Roach, this is going to take some time. Go with Meat and Royce and check the favela for any sign of Rojas - that's where this guy was headed." Soap said.

Roach nodded in response but his attention was focused on Ghost who continued to spark the cables and gaze at Rojas' assistant. Roach couldn't imagine being in this man's position, Ghost looked scary as hell and Roach was glad they were on the same side. Suddenly Soap pulled the garage door down leaving Roach to guess what they were doing to Rojas' right hand man.

Ghost held the cables about a foot from the man's chest.

"Alright, let's start this easy," Soap said, "tell us where Rojas is, and there won't be need to cause you any harm."

"I-I don't know where he is!" The man stuttered in fear.

"Look you really don't want to waste our time, my partner here has patience issues," Soap said motioning his head to Ghost, "Tell us where he is."

"I said I don't know!" the man yelled.

Soap turned to Ghost and nodded once. Ghost instantly lashed out with the cables. As they came in contact with the metal chair the man's body arched as the electricity coursed through him. He screamed in agony as Ghost held the cables in place for about a full minute before pulling back.

"If I tell you where he is, they will kill me!" The man sobbed.

"And if you don't I'll make you _wish_ you were dead." Ghost hissed.

"Where is he?" Soap yelled

"I can't!" The man screamed in between sobs.

Ghost whipped out his pistol and put a bullet in the man's left kneecap. The man screamed as blood poured out of the wound.

"Tell us where he is!" Ghost yelled above the man's screams.

"This can stop whenever you want it to; all you have to do is tell us what we want to know." Soap added.

"He's in the favela! He's hiding in the favela, but he's got tons of militia men guarding him! You'll never get to him!" The man yelled.

Ghost placed his gun's barrel to the man's right kneecap.

"_Where _in the favela?"

"I-In a large building! With many floors! You can't miss it; it's to the north on a large hill!" The man said quickly, his eyes wild.

Ghost looked over at Soap without removing the gun.

"What do you think?" he asked.

Soap gazed at the man for a moment before nodding.

"He's telling us the truth. Let's hurry up and circle around the other side of the favela."

Ghost holstered his pistol and looked down at the still sobbing prisoner.

"What do we do with 'im?" he asked.

Soap lifted the garage door and held it open for Ghost to walk under.

"Leave him. He'll manage to free himself or be found eventually."

Ghost gave the prisoner one last glance before he ducked down under the door and waited for Soap to shut it, blocking out the man's cries. Soap took the lead and Ghost jogged beside him as he reached up and pressed his throat mic.

"Royce, gimme a sitrep, over."

"Lot's of militia but no sign of Rojas over here, over." Royce responded.

"Copy that. Keep searching and let me know if you see him. Out."

"He won't be staying inside that building long," Soap said to Ghost, "the militia knows we are after him, and they know it will only be a matter of time before we catch on to where he's hiding."

"The closer Royce and the others get to him, the more likely he will be on the move, he's probably on the move now." Ghost replied.

"We need to circle around and push him towards Royce's group, let's move." Soap said as he suddenly changed direction and sprinted down an alley way.

Ghost steadily kept up, his eyes darting in every direction as they ran past building and shacks. Sounds of gunfire could be heard not too far away. Ghost was wondering how the others were holding up. He knew they were outnumbered and the militia where at the advantage by knowing the area. All he could do was hope that they would hold out until Rojas was found. Soap came to a halt in front of him and Ghost instantly pressed his back against the building behind him and slid close to his Captain.

"Four tangos are around the corner." Soap whispered.

"Wonder why they aren't joining in on the action nearby…" Ghost murmured.

"Well, whatever the reason, they're about to wish they had." Soap said as he broke cover and took all four out with a spray of bullets from his ACR.

Ghost sighed irritably from his position beside the wall as Soap reloaded his weapon.

"Well you could have bloody left me at least one."

Soap simply smirked and then began slowly moving forward.

"Quit your bitchin' Ghost, you can have the next one." Soap said as he stalked forward, scanning the area for anymore signs of movement.

Ghost half rolled his eyes and shook his head as checked behind him, and then followed Soap onward.

The next couple of blocks they traveled were quiet, until the silence was broken by Royce's distraught voice.

"Meat is down! I repeat, Meat is down!" Royce yelled above the sound of gunfire in the background.

"Dammit!" Ghost yelled angrily.

"We have to hurry," Soap said as he picked up the pace again, "Rojas' stronghold isn't far now."

Ghost and Soap ran up another alley and as they turned the corner the spotted Rojas surrounded by five militia men making their way out of the building. Ghost and Soap darted back around the corner as they were spotted and bullets instantly pounded the place where they were standing moments before.

"Ghost, I hold them off here, circle back around this building and keep your eye on Rojas. Don't let him out of your sight!"

"Roger, I'm on it." Ghost replied as he turned away from Soap and sprinted back through the ally and went around the other side of the building. Rojas was already running. Sprinting in between buildings and away from Soap and his guards, but Ghost was on him, and he had almost caught up when other militia men began appearing from around corners blocking his path. Ghost ducked down behind a cement wall as bullets flew overhead.

"Royce is down!" Roach said suddenly over the comms.

"Roach - we've got Rojas' location! He's heading west along the upper levels of the favela. We'll keep him from doubling back on our side - keep going and cut him off at the top! There's no time for backup. You're gonna have to do this on your own. Good luck. Out." Soap replied.

"Soap! They've got me pinned down here! Rojas is still moving!" Ghost yelled as he tossed a grenade over his cement wall.

"I've got Rojas in sight, he's doubling back and headed your way!"

Ghost rose from cover and sprayed bullets a second after his grenade went off, finishing off the rest of the men keeping him pinned. Ghost ran towards the alley Rojas had disappeared into and smirked in satisfaction as Rojas froze for a moment seeing that Ghost was blocking his way. Ghost raised his gun as Rojas turned and ran back the other way.

"Sir, I've got Rojas in my sights! We can go for a clean leg shot! We can end it here!" he said hopefully as he ducked down from militia firing from the rooftops.

"Negative! We can't risk it! Do not engage!" Soap answered.

"Bollocks! Roger that!" Ghost said angrily as he turned his fire to the men on the rooftops. Once the way was clear Ghost continued the chase.

"Roach, keep going! Rojas is still headed towards your side of the favela!" Soap said.

Ghost turned a corner and instantly doubled back for cover as a RPG whizzed over head and exploded as it struck a building beside him. The RPG was followed by a continuous onslaught of bullets.

"Soap, I'm taking a lot of fire from the militia, I don't think I can track him through the market! I'm gonna have to find another way around!"

"Roger that! I'll head for the rooftops and try to cut him off on the right! He's gonna have no choice but to head west!" Soap replied.

Ghost, frustrated, doubled back and climbed up on the rooftop of a small building. He took out a few of the men shooting at him from the market and then began moving when he spotted Rojas.

"Be advised, I'm about half a klick east of the market, I can see Rojas running across the rooftops on my right side!"

"Roger that! Roach! We're still corralling him closer to your side of the hill! Keep an eye open for Rojas! He's making his way across the rooftops!"

Ghost continued to chase after Rojas until the man hopped down off the roofs and ran into an alley below. Ghost could tell the man was growing tired by his clumsy stumbling. Ghost jumped down after him, but rolled to the side as a bullet nipped his right arm, cutting through his jacket, and barely grazing his skin.

"I've lost sight of him again! Ghost, talk to me!" Soap yelled.

Ghost quickly turned the corner and filled his attacker with bullets.

"I'm onto him! He's trying to double back through the alleys below!" Ghost answered.

"Roger that! Stay on him!" Soap ordered.

Ghost followed Rojas and turned the corner he had disappeared behind, but stopped short when he couldn't spot Rojas. He had vanished.

"Where is he, where is he?" Ghost sad desperately.

"Got a visual! He's over there, sliding down the tin rooftops!" Soap replied instantly.

Ghost sprinted in that direction, ignoring the throbbing that had begun to issue from his injured side. He spotted Rojas running across a roof heading towards a building. Soap appeared on the roof that Rojas had just slid down from. Ghost ran below keeping his eyes on Rojas as he headed closer to the building. If he got inside, he would have plenty of time to make his way down and onto the streets again before Ghost or Soap got to him.

"Ghost, I'm going far right!" Soap said as he suddenly disappeared out of sight.

"I've got another clear leg shot!" Ghost said as he realized Rojas was now in full view.

"Negative! Not unless you wanna carry him back out with all this militia breathing down your neck! I need him unharmed!" Soap replied.

Ghost angrily watched as Rojas, once again, vanished from sight.

"He's gonna get away!" he yelled.

"No he's not." Soap replied cooly.

Ghost ducked down as glass sprayed overhead. Rojas, with Soap on top of him holding him in a tackle, crashed down hard onto a car two stories below. Ghost rushed over to the side of the vehicle and kept his gun trained on Rojas as Soap held him down with one hand strongly wrapped around the man's neck. Roach came running up to them from an alley way, and also kept his aim on Rojas.

"Frontrunner, this is Bravo Six. We've got the package. I repeat we have got the package." Soap said.

"Command, ready for dustoff. Send the chopper. Coordinates to fol- Bollocks! The skies are clear! Send the chopper now!" Ghost said impatiently as the militia was heard approaching. They were closing in.

"Command's got their head up their arse. We're on our own." Ghost said softly.

"We don't have much time. Let's get the hell out of here and find someplace quiet. We have some interrogating to do." Soap said as he gazed down at Rojas.


	17. Chapter 17

Roach nervously peeked out of the blinds to make sure the militia was nowhere nearby. So far the streets of the market area were filled with civilians moving from booth to booth in search of needed goods. Roach turned and watched as Ghost toyed with his knife, spinning it skillfully in his hands, a trick Soap had taught him a long time ago. Ghost was seated on a small table with his left leg propped up beside him. Rojas was seated next to him, tied tightly to the chair he was sitting in, his eyes darting left and right as if searching for a means of escape. Soap suddenly stepped into the room the three men were in. By some miracle, Ghost, Roach, and Soap had managed to sneak Rojas into this ratty ass apartment without being spotted by the militia. Soap knew they wouldn't stop searching for them, so he chose a place in the noisy side of town, hoping the clamor below would drown out any noises they made during the interrogation. They had to do this fast, and they needed to get as much information as possible to get a hold on Makarov.

"Ghost…" Soap said softly.

Ghost looked up at Soap and when the Captain nodded at Rojas, Ghost twirled his knife once more in his hand then lashed out at Rojas' face. The man blinked in fear and surprised as the gag that had been tied around his mouth suddenly became two loose pieces. He instantly spat the cloth out and glared daggers up at Ghost.

"Release me! I haven't done anything!"

Ghost rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses and turned to Soap.

"Why the bloody 'ell do they always say that?" He said irritably, "If you didn't do anything then why the hell would we be here you stupid twit?" Ghost said as he turned back around to face Rojas.

Rojas swallowed visibly.

"What do you want from me?"

"Makarov," Soap said as he kneeled down in front of Rojas, "Where is he?"

"I don't know who you're talking about."

Ghost was instantly ready to start hurting this man. They didn't have time for this.

"You've been supplying Makarov with weapons and ammunition so you better know who he bloody is." Ghost said from behind Soap.

"I won't tell you anything." Rojas said calmly in his thick accent.

"Oh yes you will…" Soap said as he clenched his hand in a tight fist. Rojas looked as if he was about to speak, but before he could get a word out Soap punched him hard in the left jaw causing Rojas head to jerk harshly to the side. Blood spattered the wall nearby and Rojas moaned as he tried to lift his head up. Soap landed another blow to Rojas' stomach and the man doubled over in agony as far as his bonds would allow. Ghost watched as Soap landed blow after blow onto Rojas, who took each hit like a punching bag. He didn't look like he was breaking, but Ghost knew he could only take so much, and Ghost knew Soap could get messy if the situation called for it.

"Do you remember when you were in that chair English?" A Mexican accent suddenly said from behind.

Ghost ignored the voice and closed his eyes tightly in an effort to make it disappear.

"I remember…" the voice chuckled.

Ghost whipped around but only saw Roach leaning against the wall beside a window watching Soap beat the hell out of Rojas. Ghost turned back around and jumped slightly when he saw Roba standing behind Rojas.

"Kill him English…" Roba whispered.

Ghost tried to ignore it. He tried to ignore everything and focus on Rojas. But it was near impossible as the imaginary figure demanded his attention.

"You know you want to kill him…" Roba teased.

Ghost began to shake slightly. He had to fight this, for the sake of his sanity he _had_ to fight.

"Just cut his face, cut it like I had yours cut. Do you remember English?" Roba continued.

Ghost clutched the knife he was holding even tighter until his knuckles turned white under his gloves.

"Or put a bullet in his head…like I had done to you family…to your mother and your brother and—"

"You son of a bitch!" Ghost screamed as he threw his knife into Roba. Ghost watched as the figure of his enemy disappeared and the knife slammed into the wall behind Rojas, barely missing his head. All heads snapped in his direction. Soap looked up at Ghost in confusion, but the Lieutenant wasn't paying to anyone but Rojas. Ghost pushed the chair backwards and snatched his knife out of the wall then kneeled above Rojas in one swift movement. Soap could make no move to stop Ghost fast enough as he cleanly sliced off two of Rojas' fingers. Rojas screamed in pain and Ghost instantly covered the man's mouth as he tried to cry for help. Blood squirted from the wound and began forming a puddle on the floor.

"Tell us where to find him or you lose the rest of 'em!" Ghost yelled as he held his knife over the rest of Rojas' fingers on the injured hand. Soap watched from the other side of Rojas. Something was wrong. Ghost was taking this too far, but he didn't make a move to stop him. Roach backed farther in the corner. It was like some kind of demon had taken over Ghost, he had never seen him so violent.

"Talk!" Ghost yelled as he released Rojas' mouth.

But the only sounds that came out where more screams. Ghost responded by following through on his threat and slicing the rest of the man's fingers off. Both Soap and Roach turned away from the grisly sight. Rojas was going into shock. His screams had died away and he watched in horror as Ghost moved to his other hand.

"You want to tell me now?" Ghost said calmly.

"There's a prisoner!" Rojas quickly replied. "627! He's locked in the gulag! Please! No more!"

"What does this prisoner have to do with anything?" Soap asked.

"He hates this man more than anything else! You want Makarov? Get 627!" Rojas sobbed as he slowly fell unconscious.

Ghost wiped his knife on the side of Rojas' shirt and sheathed it before he rose to his feet and walked out of the room. Soap watched him go, then drew his knife and cut Rojas' bonds.

Ghost walked into the next room and leaned heavily on the wall behind him. He looked down at his blood covered gloves and shivered. The rage that had filled his body had vanished almost as quickly as it came. It was as if he had lost control of himself. Even he was disturbed with what he had done. But what was more disturbing was the power Roba had over him even in death. There had to be a way to get this to stop. How could he trust himself now? Things had only worsened rather than got better for him ever since he nearly died in Kazakhstan.

"Ghost?"

Ghost turned his head to gaze at Soap as he entered the room and stood next to his comrade.

"You alright?"

Ghost shook his head.

"I'm sorry Soap…I don't know what came over me in there…"

"Well, I was going to work up to the extremities, but you don't waste any time do you?" Soap said with a small smirk, "You got the information we needed, but you weren't yourself in there. And I think I may know why."

Ghost gazed down at the ground. Of course Soap knew why, but unfortunately there was nothing he could do to help. Ghost wished he didn't have to face this on his own, but he didn't have a choice. Ghost looked up again as he felt Soap pat his shoulder.

"Come on. We have back up headed to the outskirts of the market. We need to hurry up and meet them there so we can get the hell out of here."

Ghost rose from the wall and followed Soap back into the room where they gathered their equipment and headed to the door. Ghost turned to see Roach standing over Rojas, staring in shock at the severed fingers and the blood soaked carpet.

"Let's go Roach. Keep us waiting and you'll be next." Ghost joked in an effort to lighten the dark situation he had been in.

Without a word Roach grabbed his ACR and was out the door in a flash. Before he followed, Ghost looked back at Rojas' unconscious form and froze when he saw Roba standing beside the overturned chair, smiling widely at him.

"Nice work English. I'll visit you again soon." Roba said in Ghost's head.

Without a word, Ghost stepped out of the room and angrily slammed the door behind him, then made his way down the stairs where Soap and Roach waited.

-Sorry this took a while guys, I've been having some writer's block I'm going to write the next mission a bit differently, so it's going to take some time. Thanks for reading and for being patient with me.


	18. Chapter 18

Ghost and Soap lead the team around the market and towards their extraction point. Reaper, Neon, and Toad had joined up with them a short while ago. They had all been spread out within the city to keep an eye out for Rojas and hadn't been able to catch up and join in on the chase. Now they all had to work together if they were going to escape this place alive.

"Have you gotten in touch with this friend of yours?" Ghost asked as he ran alongside Soap.

Soap nodded.

"He's going to meet us at the LZ to the north near another small market."

Ghost glanced behind him and saw the team sticking close together, their eyes checking every corner and alley as they kept up with their leaders' pace. Ghost casually glanced up and adrenaline began to course through his body as he spotted several forms running along the rooftops headed toward their position.

"Sir, the militias closing in."

Soap stopped running and followed his Lieutenant's gaze.

"We're gonna have to fight our way to the LZ," Soap said as he spotted the men, "Let's go!"

The team moved forward into a run down area of the city and Ghost instantly crouched down. This was a good a spot as any for an ambush. Suddenly Ghost spotted the movement he was looking for as he heard Soap speaking to Nikolai behind him.

"Tangos at the ground level dead ahead! Let's do this!" Ghost yelled as he lunged forward taking out the nearest two then splitting off around the right side of the building in front of them. The rest of the team instantly followed and split into two groups. Soap ran to the left followed by Reaper and Neon, and Roach and Toad followed Ghost as he fearlessly held his position in the street and picked off the enemies running along the rooftops to the north of them. Roach and Toad ran ahead of their comrade and took shelter nearby, Roach kneeled behind a car, and Toad, behind some barrels. Ghost slowly walked to his left as he attacked the enemy then quickly crouched behind the corner to reload. Once his UMP was ready, he swung back around and gazed through his ACOG scope searching for his next target.

"Ghost, I've got runners on the roof of the two story building," Toad's voice rang in his ear.

Ghost directed his aim in that direction and spotted the enemy pathetically trying to hide themselves by lying on their stomachs. Ghost easily saw them through his scope and after the third kill the rest of campers rose and ran across the roof with their comrades. Ghost followed them on his scope and lessened their numbers as they tried to find cover and fired blindly back. Ghost was so focused on the enemy that the sudden loud yell of triumph behind him nearly caught him off guard. In the split second Ghost realized this wasn't the yell of one of his men, instinct took over and he quickly ducked his head and shifted the left as the butt of an AK-47 came forcefully down where his head had just been. The blow would have been enough to knock Ghost senseless. As the gun and arm of the owner came into view in his peripheral vision, Ghost grabbed the arm and with a burst of strength, flipped the man over his back. The man landed hard on the ground with a grunt of surprise and could only stare up in shock as Ghost aimed his gun down and filled the man's body full of bullets. Stepping over the bloody corpse, Ghost ran forward and took shelter behind a small shed to reload his weapon. Ghost looked up as he heard the approach of a vehicle.

"Technical comin' in from the south!" Ghost warned as he spotted the Gatling gun bolted down to the bed of a truck.

Ghost, Roach, and Toad joined up with the rest of the team as they appeared coming from the other side of the building and the six of them took cover as the truck came to a holt in front of them and a fury of bullets unleashed in their direction. Ghost was kneeled next to Soap taking cover behind an overturned vehicle. He was going to throw a grenade when he realized he was out. Ghost looked over at Soap who was quickly reloading. Soap didn't stop reloading nor ask questions as Ghost reached over and snatched up a syntex grenade from his vest. Ghost chanced a quick glance from their shelter to pinpoint the vehicle. Their fire was focused on where Roach and Reaper were hiding. Ghost flinched as a bullet, shot from the rooftops, pounded into the car he was hiding behind. Ghost ducked back down, pulled the pin, and tossed the syntex over his shoulder. Ghost smirked in satisfaction as he heard the thump of the grenade as it stuck to the side of the truck. The militia that had surrounded the truck to provide cover didn't have a chance to avoid the explosion as the truck burst into a ball of flame, consuming all of them in the process. Ghost fired at the remaining men on the roof as they retreated to the north. For the moment, the gunfire had ceased and the team took a moment to take a deep breath but Soap was already moving once again.

"Let's go, let's go! We've gotta push through these streets to the market! Watch for flanking routes!" Soap said as he took off down the street.

Ghost followed with Roach running alongside him, and the rest of the team following closely behind. The streets had become fairly empty save for the occasional tango that attempted to thin out the Task Force's ranks, only to have a bullet planted into his head instead. Finally the market came into view after half a mile of running.

"They've regrouped in a final attempt to stop us here." Ghost said as he saw several of the militia men running to their positions behind stands and building corners.

"Squad! Spread out and cut through the market! Move!" Soap ordered.

The six men spread themselves out and the fire fight began. Ghost directed his fire towards the middle of the market as a group of men came rushing recklessly towards them.

"Ghost, I'm making my way to the alley on your left, cover me!" Roach's voice called out.

Ghost turned and scanned the area until he found his comrade crouched behind a stand a few feet behind him, ready to break cover.

"Copy!" Ghost answered as he turned back around and alternated firing at the rooftops around them and the remaining enemies running through the market. Once Ghost saw Roach had made it to the alley safely, he rose and ran deeper into the market. Ahead he saw Soap crouched behind some crates as he tried to take out the few men firing from inside a nearby building. Ghost slid to the ground next to him and reloaded.

"We're almost out of here." Ghost said as he popped in a new clip.

"We _will_ be out of here once these muppets stop firing." Soap replied irritably motioning towards the men firing blindly from the window of the building.

"Well, only one way to do that mate." Ghost answered and Soap smirked in response. The Captain and his Lieutenant rose from cove, guns raised, at the same exact moment, and unleashed their fury on their enemies. There was a spray of blood as the bullets found their targets hiding at the window. Ghost whipped to the right and finished the rest of them as they tried to escape the onslaught by booking it out the door. Again the fighting died down and Soap and Ghost made their way through the market as the rest of the team regrouped behind them. Suddenly a pave low helicopter appeared overhead.

"There's Nikolai's Pave Low! Let's go! Nikolai! ETA 20 seconds! Be ready for immediate dustoff!" Soap yelled.

"That may not be fast enough! I see more militia closing in on the market!" Nikolai replied.

"Pick up the pace! Let's go!" Soap ordered.

Ghost watched with growing dread as RPG teams appeared on the rooftops as well as a large group of militia began firing from the ground. The Task Force tried to pick of the men in an effort to protect Nikolai but the enemy gunfire was too overwhelming.

"It's too hot! We will not survive this landing!" Nikolai said in distress as he tried to dodge oncoming RPG missiles.

"Nikolai wave off, wave off! We'll meet you at the secondary LZ instead! Go!" Soap said.

"Very well, I will meet you there! Good luck!" Nikolai replied as his pave low rushed away from their position.

"Come on! We've got to get to the rooftops, this way! Let's go, let's go!" Soap ordered as he rushed toward a large wall ahead. Ghost picked up the speed and both he and Soap lunged at the wall, grabbed the edge, and heaved themselves over. Soap went ahead as Ghost stayed by the wall to make sure everyone made it up.

"Let's move." Soap said over the comms.

Ghost covered the rear as they moved through a building and came out on the rooftops. As soon as the team appeared out of the building Nikolai appeared across from them.

"Go! Go! Go!" Soap ordered.

The team instantly ran forward as the militia closed in behind. Ghost was ahead of everyone. His eyes darting to and fro looking for the best places to jump from roof to roof. He spotted a large gap ahead of them.

"We're running out of rooftop!" Ghost yelled

Soap spotted the jump that awaited them ahead and picked up his speed.

"We can make it! Go!"

Ghost clenched his fists and lunged across the rooftop, landing heavily on the angled steel roof on the other side. He reached out and grabbed the top of the building to keep himself from sliding down. He turned and watched the rest of the team follow. Each one making the jump until it was Roach's turn. Ghost offered a hand and pulled everyone up so they wouldn't slide down and fall s they landed the jump slightly below him. Once Soap had made the jump, he reached for Ghost's hand and the Lieutenant supported him as he climbed up. Ghost looked up as Roach suddenly made his jump and fell short, groping for any kind of support as he slid down the roof.

"Roach!" Ghost yelled as he saw his comrade slipping.

Soap looked below him and released Ghost's hand as he spotted Roach sliding quickly down towards the edge. Ghost's heart dropped as Soap tried to grab Roach as he disappeared over the edge but it was too late. Roach had fallen, and was in the middle of the area that would be surrounded in seconds by the militia.

"Roach! Can you hear me?" Soap called.

There was no answer. Ghost remained where he was, waiting to help Soap back up but a sudden thump and a sharp pain cause him to fall over in agony. A bullet had struck his injured side, and even though the bullet proof vest he was wearing kept the bullet from entering his body, the force from the bullet hurt like hell. The militia was moving in closer and bullets were starting to fly in their direction. Ghost was struggling to rise when he felt himself being lifted. He looked up to see Reaper and Toad pulling him to his feet.

"Sir, we have to get out of here!" Reaper said.

Neon ran over to the edge of the roof and reached out for Soap.

"Captain MacTavish! We have to go now!" Neon called.

Soap looked back over the edge at Roach who was lying still on the ground. There was no way down to get to him, but Soap felt torn, he couldn't just leave him there, he could still be alive. Ghost had shook off the pain and suddenly broke away from Reaper and Toad.

"Soap," Ghost said as he made his way to a different edge of the building, "I'll get Roach, provide cover."

"Ghost, what are you-" Soap began but stopped short as he spotted Ghost jump from the side of the building, "Ghost!"

Ghost had spotted a large dumpster beside the building they were on and he knew that Roach needed help. He jumped down onto the dumpster ignoring the pain that traveled up his legs from the drop. He then jumped down to the ground and ran to Roach's side. Ghost checked Roach's pulse and found it normal so he began shaking Roach forcefully.

"Roach! Wake up!" Ghost yelled as he heard the militia coming closer.

Roach slowly opened his eyes as he regained consciousness, with Ghost's help he rose to his feet moaning and rubbing his head.

"Roach! Ghost! Get the hell out of there and find a way to the rooftops! Move! Run for it! Get to the rooftops!" Soap yelled frantically.

"Let's go! Now!" Ghost said as he pulled the still dazed Roach with him into a building nearby.

Roach's adrenaline began pumping as the militia finally appeared in all directions. Hundreds of them. Bullets began flying into the building they were in, destroying furniture and shattering windows. Ghost and Roach ducked their heads and continued running upstairs. When Ghost and Roach appeared outside Soap's voice rang in their ears.

"I see you! Jump down to the rooftops and meet us south of your position! Go!"

"Gas is very low! I must leave in thirty seconds!" Nikolai added.

"Come on!" Ghost yelled as he jumped down onto the next roof.

"Run! Left! Turn left and jump down! Come on!" Soap directed them.

The helicopter came into view and Roach and Ghost sprinted as fast as their legs would carry them. Bullets whizzed by their heads urging them to run faster. Ghost made it to the chopper first and jumped inside, Roach was right behind but a sudden RPG missile flew towards the pave low and Nikolai was forced to pull up to dodge it.

"Jump for it!" Soap yelled

Roach leaped off the building and grabbed ahold of the ladder swinging under the pave low.

"Nikolai! We got him! Get us out of here!"

"Where to, my friend?" Nikolai asked.

"Just get us to the sub..." Soap sighed, exhausted as he watched Reaper and Neon pull Roach into the helicopter.


	19. Chapter 19

Ghost rested his head against cold steel behind him. After refueling, Nikolai had agreed to take the team to the submarines awaiting them in the eastern part of Russia. They were to head to an oil rig and evacuate the civilians that were being used as human shields before finally heading to the gulag to retrieve 627. Ghost and the rest of the team were scattered around the inside of Nikolai's pave low, some staring blankly ahead or conversing quietly, and some sleeping. Ghost was sitting alone in the back, one leg stretched out and the other bent to prop up his arm. The inside of the pave low was stuffy, so Ghost had removed his mask and sunglasses and had them lying neatly on his outstretched leg. He was staring intently ahead until the dark form of Soap began walking towards him, saying something softly to the team as he walked by them. Ghost's deep blue eyes followed the form of his Captain as he approached.

"Our ETA is 90 min," Soap said as he came to a halt in front of his comrade, "Try to get some rest, it's been a pretty hectic day."

"And it looks like it's not quite over mate," Ghost replied as he slowly blinked his eyes, "Looks like we're pulling an all nighter eh?"

"Seems that way," Soap said as he squatted down next to his Lieutenant, "How you holding up?"

Ghost ran a finger over the bullet hole in his jacket, thankful for the militia's bad aim.

"Well enough I suppose," Ghost sighed, "The sooner we get our hands around this con's neck, the better off we'll all be."

"Seems we're getting close to the finish line." Soap said as he scratched the back of his neck.

Ghost chuckled lightly and shook his head.

"One thing I've learned from my past mate, when you expect the finish line to come into view, turns out you still have a mile left to run."

Soap gazed at Ghost for a moment, taking in the eerie feeling of those words. He was about to speak when a voice behind him stole his concentration.

"Sir, Shephard wants to speak with you." Reaper called from the cockpit.

Soap nodded and glanced back at Ghost before rising to his feet. Ghost watched him go as he walked to the front of the pave low where the radio awaited him. Soap was worried; Ghost could see it easily in his eyes. He knew his Captain well enough to know when something was bothering him. Soap cared about his team more than anything else. They were a family and Soap was the father of them all. So it was only natural for him to be concerned about his men if they were wounded or upset. Ghost was slightly annoyed with Soap's constant check-ups on him but then again it was nice to know someone cared, that he wasn't truly alone in this world. They were getting closer to Makarov with these next couple of missions so things were going to be more dangerous than ever. Ghost knew he had the skills to make it out alive; he had been through too much not to, but the fact that Soap was keeping an eye on him in the field, ready to be at his side should something go wrong, made Ghost smile softly to himself. Ghost had never followed someone so committed to his men's well-being, and although he would never admit it, it made him feel safer knowing without a doubt Soap had his back. Ghost deeply sighed and looked over the rest of the team seated around the inside of the pave low. Some were already asleep. He figured he should probably be too. Ghost was about to shut his eyes when movement caught his attention. Someone had rose and was now walking towards him. Ghost couldn't make out who it was until he saw the white bandages covering the side of the man's head.

"Everything alright Roach?" Ghost asked softly as his comrade approached him.

Roach slowly lowered himself to sit next to Ghost. He shuffled beside the Lieutenant until he finally got comfortable and looked over at the man next to him.

"It was a little crowded over there, and I thought you could use some company." Roach replied.

Ghost looked down at his mask and traced the outline of the skull with his finger.

"How's your head?"

Roach sighed and gently ran a hand over the bandages.

"Bloody sore. I forgot how painful concussions were."

"It could have been a lot worse. You were lucky," Ghost said, "But then again roaches are impossible to kill."

Roach smirked.

"Well unless you burn them, I think that's pretty much the only way to kill the blighters."

"Well now we know to avoid fire eh?"

Roach yawned and laid his head back.

"I want to thank you Ghost. For coming back for me back in the favela."

Ghost turned his head and gazed at Roach.

"There's no need to thank me mate. I'm sure you would have done the same for me."

"But Mactavish said I wasn't moving. And the militia was right on top of us. Ghost I could have been dead, and you could have lost your life for nothing."

"A lot of things _could_ have happened Roach, but I still would have went down there. No one gets left behind," Ghost said and Roach smiled softly.

"And plus if something happened to you I wouldn't have anyone to pick on." Ghost said as he reached over and ruffled Roach's short hair.

"Oh I'm sure you would have managed to find a new target," Roach chuckled, "But really Ghost, it's good to know you have my back even when it seems I'm done for."

Ghost smiled and patted Roach's shoulder.

"We're a family mate," Ghost said referring back to his recent thoughts, "We have to look out for one another."

"You miss them don't you?" Roach asked after a moment.

Ghost eyes softened and he glanced over at Roach before slowly gazing down at the ground.

"Everyday…" he said softly, "I had my revenge but it doesn't change the fact that they're gone nor does it lessen the pain…"

Roach watched Ghost for a moment.

"I'm sorry…" Roach said softly unable to think of anything else to say.

"When we were questioning Rojas…" Ghost began suddenly, "I saw Roba. That's why I lost it in there."

Roach continued to watch Ghost silently.

"Ever since I was nearly killed two weeks ago, I've been having these hallucinations and I don't understand why. I don't know how to make them stop. They're all dead yet they continue to haunt me almost everyday."

"I can't begin to imagine the pain of what you went through…but you're not crazy Ghost. I know that much. There has to be a reason for what's going on and there has to be a way to make it stop."

"I just wish I knew the whys and hows." Ghost replied.

"We'll figure it out. I'll help you." Roach said.

"I wish you could, but I don't think there's much you can do mate." Ghost said.

"I'll do what I can," Roach said, "We're family remember? We look out for each other."

Ghost looked up at Roach and he felt a spark of happiness block out his pain. He had lost so much but here was proof that he had others in his life that were here for him. The loneliness that had clouded Ghost's heart for so long was finally starting to deplete. Ghost managed a small smile.

"Thanks Roach." He said softly.


	20. Chapter 20

"Ghost. Ghost wake up, we're here."

Ghost came awake as Roach gently shook him, his eyelids screaming in protest as he opened them. Everyone was beginning to gather up their gear around them. Ghost closed his eyes and stretched his body sighing in satisfaction as his bones popped from the position they had been holding for over an hour. Ghost rose to his feet with the help of Roach who was already standing. He rolled his neck and flexed his shoulder blades in an effort to shake off the heavy fatigue, then reached down and lifted his bag.

"Listen up," Soap called from the front of the pave low, "when we get inside the sub you'll have about thirty minutes to grab some chow and change into your gear. At precisely twenty-two hundred hours I want you to meet your designated teams at the SDV's for deployment. My team will be Roach, Chemo, Avatar, Bull, and Peasant. Ghost, you take Reaper, Archer, Cannibal, Langley, and Zach. We'll regroup once we've resurfaced at a safe spot on the oil rig."

"You gonna manage to stay alive until we regroup?" Ghost teased as he elbowed Roach playfully in the side.

"Well, as long as there are no walls of ice or slanted metal rooftops." Roach chuckled as he remembered his two near death experiences.

Ghost smirked in response as he slid his balaclava back over his face and exited the pave low behind Soap and Nikolai.

"Ghost, you and your team will be on the U.S.S. Dallas," Soap said as he beckoned to the docked submarine on the left, "I'll see you in a bit," he finished as he gave Ghost's shoulder a pat then turned to speak to Nikolai. Ghost turned his attention to the rest of the team as they filed out of the pave low. Ghost whistled to get their attention.

"My team! Let's go, we don't have much time." He called as he beckoned them over and began walking towards the docked sub that awaited them. Reaper, Archer, Cannibal, Langley, and Zach jogged briskly to catch up with Lieutenant then followed him down the hatch and inside the sub. They had little time to relax and refuel themselves. Then they would be headed into a messy situation.

Ghost twisted his waist and stretched his arms in an effort to get used to his wetsuit. He was at the head of the SDV and was now waiting patiently for them to be deployed. Ghost reached up to make sure his headset was securely in place and looked back to check on his team.

"Is everyone good to go?" he called.

"Yes, sir." They answered quietly as they made the last adjustments to their gear.

Ghost looked up at a man holding on to a ladder above them. Ghost gave him a thumbs up and he nodded in response before climbing the ladder and sealing the hatch behind him. A red light above the team began flashing red and Ghost grasped the handles on the side of the SDV tighter as icy cold water began flooding the inside of the room. Within minutes the room was underwater. Ghost checked behind him once again to make sure everyone's diving gear was working properly. Everything seemed in order. _So far so good, _Ghost thought to himself. He was ready for this to be over, and not just this particular mission, but everything. The war in DC, the spreading terror of Makarov, and the reappearing images of Roba. He had promised to show himself again and soon. Tonight was not the night for Ghost to suffer another loss of control, too much was at stake. Ghost pressed himself closer to the SDV as the large hatch in front of them opened revealing the miles of dark ocean water surrounding them.

"U.S.S. Dallas deploying Team Two. RV at the objective." The Sub Commander spoke over their comms.

There was a rush of water pressure as the SDV shot forward into the large expanse of dark blue. Ghost could feel the pressure from the water push down on his body. It wasn't a good feeling. They were pretty far under the surface to avoid detection and they could only start going up when Soap gave the ok. The other SDV came into sight on Ghost's right. Ghost pinpointed Soap and gave him a thumbs up. Soap instantly responded by giving him an ok, the pointing up at a platform just above the surface. Ghost released the SDV and instantly began swimming up, the rest of his team doing the same. He surfaced slowly and quietly and spotted two men conversing with each other on the platform.

"Sir, two tangos on the platform," Ghost whispered into his mic.

"Copy. Roach, we'll take them out at the same time, on your go." Soap said softly.

Ghost remained still and watched the guards carefully as Soap surfaced beside him. The Captain drifted closer to the other guard until he was within reach then waited for Roach. Ghost smirked as the guard on the other side was suddenly pulled into the water and Soap responded by grabbing his guard before he could utter a word and pulled him down as well. As Soap and Roach disposed of the two guards underwater, Ghost grabbed the edge of the platform and heaved himself up. The rest of the team did the same, and as Soap reemerged from the water, Ghost offered him a hand.

"Started off a bit easy eh?" Ghost asked.

Soap reached for his Lieutenant's hand and grunted as he was pulled onto the platform.

"The only easy day was yesterday mate, it only gets harder from here," Soap said as he shed his scuba gear and loaded his M4A1. Ghost nodded in response as he too removed his oxygen tanks and unstrapped his fins from his feet. He pulled his mask out of a pocket on his gear and slid it over his face as he removed his dive mask, then slid hid red sunglasses over his eyes. Ghost loaded his Scar-H and started up the stairs behind Soap.

"Two hostiles down in section One-Alpha. Moving up to section Two." Soap said into his mic.

"Roger that, Hotel Six." Came the reply.

As they reached the top of the stairs, Soap crouched.

"Keep it tight people. Ready weapons. Move up."

Ghost walked low around the other side of the large crate Soap was kneeled behind. He stopped dead when he spotted another guard leaning against a rail.

"Got a visual by the railing." He whispered.

"Free to engage. Suppressed weapons only." Soap answered.

Ghost raised his Scar-H and took aim at the man's head. There was a slight sound of one suppressed bullet, then a red mist as the bullet found its target in the man's left temple.

"We're clear." Ghost said as he watched the body topple over the rail and fall into the sea's icy cold depths.

"Civilian hostages at your position, watch your fire," The Sub Commander said.

"Roger that. Team One moving to breach." Soap answered as he four others surrounded the nearest door to the room. Ghost walked swiftly to the other door and crouched beside it as Roach planted a breach charge on the door. Roach looked over at the Lieutenant and Ghost gave him a quick nod. They had to do this right. They couldn't lose one of their own or one of the civilians. Only the enemy could die today. There was a click then the door exploded into fragments of wood. Roach rushed inside first and Ghost followed in right behind him. The two stood side by side, taking out each enemy carefully before the civilians could be harmed. The gunfire ceased quickly and Roach began to make his way to the other end of the room. There was shuffle and Ghost quickly turned to find the source of the noise. One of the guards had hidden himself behind an overturned table and was now rising and taking aim at the oblivious Roach. Ghost reached out and grabbed Roach by the collar and threw him to the ground as the shell from the ultranationalists shotgun blasted a hole in the wall where Roach had been. Reaper had been behind Ghost, and had spotted the man as well. Taking swift action, he shot the man down with his readied weapon and rushed to the area to make sure there were no more men hiding. Ghost grabbed Roach's arm and helped him up.

"You have a knack for getting into trouble dont you?" Ghost asked as he looked his comrade over to make sure he wasn't hurt.

"And you have a knack for saving my ass." Roach answered breathlessly.

Ghost chuckled and punched Roach in the shoulder before turning and exiting the room. Soap was waiting at the door.

"Is everyone alright?" He asked.

"Everyone's fine and ready to move." Ghost answered.

"We're clear. Hostages secured in section Two-Echo." Soap said into his throat mic.

"Roger that Hotel Six, Team 2 will secure and evac, continue your search topside."

Soap nodded to the staircase behind them that led to the next floor.

"Ok. Let's move."

With Soap in the lead, Ghost, Roach and the rest of the team followed single file up the stairs.

"Enemy helo patrolling the perimeter. Keep a low profile, Hotel Six."

"Roger that." Soap replied as he came to a corner. Ghost came beside him and pressed his back up against the wall. Hopefully the unsuppressed shotgun blast hadn't drawn any attention. This mission would be a lot more difficult if their cover was blown. After peeking around the corner Soap turned to Ghost and signaled for him to go first. The Lieutenant nodded once in response and smoothly rounded the corner, gun raised, searching for any signs of movement. There were none. The place was empty. Ghost smirked to himself, then turned and beckoned the rest of the team to follow. As Soap and the others broke cover Ghost heard a distant noise headed their way. He turned his eyes towards the sky and spotted a search light as it flashed across the level they were on. The patrolling helo.

"Enemy helo, get out of sight!" Ghost hissed as he dropped to the ground behind some barrels. Some of the team backed off back down the stairs and out of sight while the others dropped to the ground like Ghost. The little bird floated in the air for a moment, the search light roaming over the top of the deck. Ghost held his breath as the bright light licked across his hiding spot. If any of them were spotted, they were all dead. The bird drifted around the team for a few more agonizing seconds before it lifted up and disappeared over the top of the oilrig. Ghost let out the breath he had been holding before he finally lifted himself off the ground and scanned the area once more for walking patrols.

"Ok. We're clear, let's move." Soap said over the comms.

"Hotel Six, more hostages are at your position."

"Copy that."

Ghost saw a small building ahead with two doors.

"Ahead." He said

Soap nodded.

"Ghost, with me. Roach and Reaper take the side door. The rest of you spread out and guard the perimeter."

Ghost quietly stole up to the door and put the charge in place as Soap appeared beside him and readied himself on the other side.

"Here we go." Ghost mumbled as the door shattered into pieces when the charge exploded.

Ghost and Soap whipped into the room as Roach and Reaper appeared from the other side. Ghost eliminated an enemy that was preparing to slit a hostage's throat and turned to take out another that was preparing to shoot them. Before he could pull the trigger the man gave a yelp and fell face first to the ground from a bullet Roach had put into the back of his head.

"Clear. Well done mate." Ghost said before turning at the sound of several distressed voices coming from a nearby radio.

"Enemy radio...I think we're going to have company sir..." Ghost said feeling irritation stir. He should have known this would happen. Nothing ever goes according to plan, especially for the 141.

Soap sighed as he heard the Russian on the radio. He pulled some C4 and handed it to Ghost.

"Set up for Plan B. Get some C4 on those bodies, go."

Ghost quickly kneeled next to two nearby bodies and set the C4 in place. He looked up to see Roach doing the same to two corpses on the other side.

"C4 placed, sir." Ghost said as he rose to his feet.

"Get to an elevated position. We'll ambush them when they discover the bodies." Soap said as he left the building.

There was a high platform about twenty feet away and Soap, Roach, and two others quickly climbed to the top of it. Ghost ran under the platform and positioned himself between two large metal containers. He positioned his Scar in between the containers and awaited the enemy. It didn't take long for them to show. A large group of Russians appeared around the corner and Ghost gazed at them through his thermal, his finger placed gently on the trigger awaiting the command.

"Hold your fire until they're closer. Standby." Soap whispered.

The group split and several headed towards the building. Ghost began applying more pressure to the trigger.

"Standby…" Soap whispered again.

The group went inside the building and shortly after there were yells of shock.

"Roach, plan B, do it." Soap ordered.

Ghost squeezed the trigger just as the C4 was detonated, sending an explosion of glass and fire from the windows. Confusion and panic made the Russians more of an easy target as Ghost took out six of them before they could raise their weapons. Ghost abandoned his thermal scope as the team rushed forward finishing off the rest of the patrol. He quickly rose from his position and made his way forward as the oilrig's alarm went off.

"Control, this is Hotel Six! Our cover is blown!" Soap said as he ran alongside Ghost.

"Copy that, intel still indicates hostages and possible explosives on the top deck. Your team needs to secure that location before we can send in reinforcements to handle the SAM sites, over."

"Well now things should at least be more exciting!" Ghost said sarcastically as he fired on two Russians that rounded a nearby corner.

"We need to work our way up and quickly!" Soap said as he moved forward and crouched beside the corner.

Ghost pulled a stun grenade from his vest and snuck behind a large tank across from Soap's corner so that he could get a better glance of the enemy coming down a set of stairs. Ghost swiftly tossed the stun grenade and broke cover as some of the Russians dropped to their knees, and others stumbled backwards rubbing at their eyes. They were quickly taken out by Langley, Zach, and Roach who were rounding the corner with Soap.

"Move!" Soap ordered as the team rushed up the stairs.

As soon as the entire team made it to the top of the stairs and had spread out, Ghost heard the distinct sound of a heli's rudder blades headed their way. Ghost quickly turned his attention to the group of Russians that were rushing down the deck and towards them.

"Grenade!" Archer called from somewhere behind Ghost and he peaked over his cover just in time to see the grenade explode, erupting some tanks around it, and sending the opposite end of the deck in flames. He quickly ducked down as a wave of heat from the explosion washed over the rest of the deck before dying back down. Ghost was about to rise and move forward when a bright light fell on him. It was the helicopter and there was no hiding from it now.

"Attack heli 12 o'clock, find some cover!" Ghost cried out as he heard the guns begin to spin and charge up.

But before a shot could be fired from attack heli's guns, a missile flew over Ghost's head and he was forced to shield his face as the missile connected with the helicopter and it blew up in flames, pieces of the chopper flying in different directions. Ghost sighed in relief and turned to see Roach lowering an AT4.

"Nice shot Roach."Ghost said proudly before rising to his feet.

Roach smiled in response before tossing the AT4 to the ground and picking up his ACR.

"The clock's ticking. We need to get topside and secure any remaining hostages before we call in the Marines." Soap said over their comms.

Ghost and Roach had caught up to Soap and the others and he motioned for them to split.

"Split up. We can flank through these hallways."

"I'll double back and follow around this building to make sure no one sneaks behind." Ghost offered.

Soap nodded and began moving forward.

"Stay frosty Ghost. See you on the other side."

Ghost whipped around and jogged silently back the way he came. When he came out on the deck it was quiet except for the crackling fire burning not too far away. He walked stealthily towards it, keeping his mind empty and his senses alert. Ghost checked behind every possible hiding spot as he walked through the remains of the explosion. There were charred bodies scattered around him and he shivered at the smell of scorched flesh. What a terrible way to die.

"English…" a voice whispered to him.

"Not now fatass, I'm busy." Ghost mumbled in response.

Ghost heard a silenced shot from over head and spotted a sniper. He quickly raised his gun and took the man out before moving ahead. The focus would be on Soap and the others as they came out of that building so it would be easy to take them by surprise from behind. Ghost took cover behind a crate as he spotted a large group of Russians gathering around the door Soap was suppose to come out of. They were trying to overwhelm the team. Ghost watched as one of them threw in two stun grenades. He heard Soap grunt as they exploded. The team was blind and the Russians were moving in, if Ghost didn't act fast they would be slaughtered. Ghost reached for a symtex grenade and threw it at the Russian closest to the door. As the grenade stuck to him with a thump he began to panic and backed away towards the group, groping at his back where the grenade was just out of reach. Once the grenade was spotted the Russians retreated in a desperate effort to escape as the man's body erupted into several pieces. That small amount of time gave Soap time to recover and he walked out of the building spraying bullets at the men as they ran. Ghost rose from cover and joined in until the entire group was dead.

"Move up to the top deck." Soap ordered.

Ghost and Roach took the lead and ran up the stairs. When they reached the top there was a pop and smoke began to quickly fill the area.

"Smokescreen." Ghost warned as he took shelter behind a large metal container. Roach followed and guarded the other side.

"These guys have thermal optics. Stay clear of the smoke." Soap said.

Ghost lifted his SCAR and peaked around the corner through his thermal scope. This was a game now, whoever gets seen first, dies first. Ghost spotted a man in a window who was taking aim at someone to the far left of his position. He squeezed the trigger and the Ultranationalist fell from the window, dead. Ghost spotted another man readying to fire an RPG from another window and quickly neutralized him as well.

"God I hate those bloody things…" Ghost mumbled to himself as he watched the man and the large missile launcher fall from the window.

"Ghost, there's two of 'em headed towards you, your three 'o clock." Roach said over the comms.

"Copy that," Ghost said as he lowered his gun and caught sight of the two Russians sneaking towards him, they're silhouettes appearing out of the smoke, "I've got a visual."

"We've got a man down!" Ghost heard as he shot down the two Russians. He gazed back up and spotted a sniper in the window the RPG had been in. He had just got the sniper in his sights when the man took another shot.

"Langley is hit!" Cannibal said.

"Son of a –," Ghost cried out, the word "bitch" drowned out by the clip he emptied into the sniper.

"Hotel Six, be advised, hostages have been confirmed at your location along with possible explosives, over."

"Copy that. All teams check your fire - we don't know what's behind these doors. Move up, now." Soap said.

Ghost scanned the area through his thermal to make sure no one was around before he broke cover.

"Cannibal. How's Langley holding up?" Ghost asked into his mic as he slowly moved forward.

"He's dead Ghost, the shot was fatal. Back of the neck." Cannibal answered.

Ghost shook his head angrily and sighed.

"Let's rescue the rest of these hostages and kill the rest of these bastards. Langley and Avatar aren't going to die for nothing." Soap said softly.

Ghost sighted the door and crouched next to it while he reloaded. Soap, Chemo, Reaper, and Archer appeared seconds later. They all gathered around the door.

"Get a frame charge on the door. We'll hit the room from both sides. Roach, are you in position?" Soap said.

"Yes sir, ready for your go." Roach answered.

Soap placed a charge on the door and turned to the side as it went off. Soap went in first this time and Ghost followed closely behind. The first thing the Lieutenant saw was one ultranationalist rushing recklessly forward with a knife drawn. He was about a foot from Soap and was readying himself for an upward stab when Ghost lunged forward and strongly grasped the man's wrist while drawing his own knife and thrusting it angrily into the man's chest three times. Ghost watched the man fall limply to the ground and watched as a puddle of blood quickly grew underneath him. The shooting had stopped and Soap was also gazing at the blood soaked body as the hostages were secured.

"Room clear. Control, all hostages have been secured. I repeat - all hostages secured. Proceeding to LZ Bravo." Soap said into his throat mic. He then looked up at Ghost.

"That was a quick save mate. Thanks."

Ghost didn't respond as he looked up at Soap.

"Good job, Hotel Six. Marine reinforcements are inserting now to dismantle the SAM sites. Get your team ready for phase two of the operation. Out."

Soap noticed a disturbed look in Ghost's eyes but there was not time to question him. They had to move.

"Come on, let's go." Soap said as he followed the rest of the team out and towards the heli pads.

Ghost glanced down at the body again and shivered before he too followed. They still had the rest of the night ahead of them, and the mission had only begun. Ghost clenched his hand into a fist. Time to go pay 627 a visit.


	21. Chapter 21

Ghost watched the small waves play upon the dark surface of the ocean below him as he flew overhead. They were headed east of the oilrig, where they would find the Gulag. It was about an hour flight and it was deathly quiet inside the chopper. Ghost raised his head and gazed inside. Cannibal was staring blankly at the ground, Worm was asleep, Roach, who was seated across from Ghost, was gazing out at the dark sky, and as Ghost turned to look at Soap who was seated beside him, the Captain looked up and met his gaze. Ghost turned away and pulled his balaclava off, sighing as the cold breeze ran across his face and through his short hair. The action stole everyone's attention, except for Worm who was lost in dreamland. Ghost was such a mysterious asset to the team, that whenever he revealed his face they all wanted to take as much detail of his features in as quickly as possible. Ghost turned away from them and gazed back out at the long stretch of water. He was heading towards another challenging mission, a mission that could possibly be his last, and it was times like this he couldn't help but to think of his family. Would today be the day he saw them again? Thoughts like these ate at his will to live. But what exactly did he have left to live for? Those responsible for his family's murder were dead; he had made sure of that two and a half years ago. He had always valued his family especially after his father tore them apart and sent his younger brother on the path of a drug addict. Ghost can still remember coming home after the SAS gave him some recovering time from the torture he endured in Mexico. He couldn't believe how old his mother had looked even though she was only in her forties. And when he found his brother Tommy lying on a couch in one of his so called friend's apartment; he had looked like a skeleton with skin. His eyes were sunken into his skull and he had been deathly pale. Ghost had remembered the terror well up inside him because he had believed his little brother was dead until he rushed over and checked his pulse. There had been bottles of pills and needles lying about, and Ghost had to lift him gently for fear he would hurt him. Ghost closed his eyes as he remembered.

"_Your getting cleaned up. Mom needs you and I need you."_

"_You don't need me! You left to go kill Arabs." Tommy growled as he struggled against his older brother's grip on his arms._

"_I kill killers Tommy, not Arabs. There's a difference. I'm on absence and I'm not going anywhere. I promise."_

_Tommy stopped struggling as tears filled his eyes._

"_Oh God Simon….what have I done?" he whispered._

"_I'm going to help you make this right Tommy. I'll stay with you, even if it takes forever." he said softly as he pulled his younger brother close._

Ghost opened his eyes again and blinked back the tears. His brother had cleaned himself up, got married and had a beautiful baby boy, and Ghost had never been more proud of his brother than when they were at that hospital while Beth gave birth to little Joseph. Everything had been so perfect then, until it was all so suddenly stolen from him. Violently stolen by the evil that continued to haunt him to this very day. Ghost's eyes hardened. He had never truly forgiven himself for what happened. If he hadn't run into Sparks that night his family would have been safe. They would still be alive today. He wished he would have gotten the chance to torture Sparks how he would have liked to. To make him feel the same pain he had felt until the pain turned into emptiness. Like an empty hole where his heart should be. For a while the hole was filled with a violent rage, and now…

Ghost wasn't entirely sure what filled it now.

"Ghost?"

Ghost lifted his head and gazed up at Roach when he heard his name. Roach was almost stunned into silence. The moonlight was glaring off of Ghost's blue eyes so they almost seemed to glow, but there was darkness behind them, a fury that was begging to come out. The right side of Ghost's face was shrouded in moonlight which succeeded in highlighting the long scar that ran down his face. For a moment he looked like some sort of evil villain in a movie until his eyes softened at the obvious worry in Roach's expression. The fury Roach had seen, was gone in a flash.

"Everything alright mate?" Soap said softly in Ghost's ear.

Ghost gave a slight smile and nodded when he felt that comforting hand on his shoulder. Was this what kept him going? Again he scanned over his comrades sitting around him. Roach and Soap were still watching him curiously and finally he gave them both a reassuring smile before laying his head back and closing his eyes. For a moment he tried to imagine losing these two, and realized he couldn't. Soldiers and Captains were easily replaced when killed in action, but it was different here. Ghost remembered what Roach told him on the way to the oil rig.

"_I'll do what I can. We're family remember? We look out for each other."_

This _is_ what filled that hole. That hole of pain, emptiness, and rage. This was the plug. Without Roach and Soap, Ghost would have no one. No one to turn to for comfort or help. Everyone, regardless if they were bad or good, weak or strong, needed comfort from somewhere. Everyone needed to know they were cared about. Ghost had known that loneliness before. He had known that mind splitting numbness in your heart that made you want to put a bullet in your head. The only thing that kept him from doing so was revenge, and after that it was Soap. Soap was the one who weeded his past out of him and made him face it. Ghost owed that man his life. Without Soap he would probably be a pile of bones, lost to everyone's memory. Whatever was happening now, with the hallucinations and such, Ghost knew it was all in his head. He had managed to repress his memories and be happy in the Task Force until his injury brought everything back. But as he felt the two pairs of eyes on him he knew for a fact everything would be okay. There would always be an empty place in his heart for his family, but the majority of that hole was filled now. Filled by the brothers watching over him as he fell asleep.


	22. Chapter 22

Ghost slowly opened his eyes as he was gently shaken awake by Soap.

"Wake up mate, ETA three minutes." He said softly.

Ghost yawned and rubbed at his eyes as everyone shuffled around and checked their gear. Soap held a Barret in front of him.

"There are towers surrounding the outer edges of the Gulag. We need to snipe the soldiers to protect the chopper."

Ghost took the sniper rifle into his hands and gazed back outside as two F-15's came beside them and shot off a missile each. He watched as the missiles whizzed forward and destroyed what appeared to be a SAM site on a nearby ridge.

"90 seconds" the pilot voice piped up in their headsets.

Soap and Roach seated themselves on the edge of the attack heli and Ghost crouched behind them. He slowly slid his mask back on and then placed his sunglasses and headset back on as well.

"All snipers, this is MacTavish, standby to engage. Stabilize."

Ghost clicked the safety off on his Barret and rose to his feet as the chopper steadied itself in front of a tower.

"All snipers - clear to engage."

Ghost gazed through his scope and took one of the soldiers out as he raised an AT4. Soap and Roach did the same, taking out any of the soldiers that appeared on the tower.

"Shift right."

"Shifting."

Ghost reached and placed a hand on the ceiling of the helicopter to maintain balance.

"Stabilize." Soap ordered as the helicopter came to the next tower.

"Ready."

Ghost lifted his gun once more and aimed at a soldier running across the top of the tower. He scored a headshot as Roach took out the other.

"Shift right, I see four hostiles on the next tower." Soap said.

Ghost readied his sniper again but before they could fire a F-15 fired on the tower, annihilating it completely. The air draft from the jet causes the helicopter to wobble uncontrollably for a moment. Ghost lost his balance and collided into a wall of the chopper.

"Hang on!" The pilot called over the alarm inside the cockpit.

After a few scary seconds, the heli stabilized.

"Shepherd! Get those fighters to cease fire immediately! That was too close!" Soap said angrily.

"I'll try to buy you some time. One man in a gulag doesn't mean much to the Navy at this point." Came the answer.

Ghost, frustrated, heaved himself back into one of the seats.

"Bloody Yanks! I thought they were the good guys!" he said as he rubbed the side of his head that got banged up against the inside of the heli.

"Ghost cut the chatter. Stay frosty." Soap ordered as the chopper began to lower itself to the ground.

"Go! Go! Go!" Soap yelled as the team leapt off the chopper and joined the other half of the Task Force that was on the second chopper.

"Two-One in position for gun run." A pilot piped up.

Ghost followed the team as they headed for the prison compound. A few guards ran towards them but they were greatly outnumbered and were shot dead by the Task Force before they could retaliate.

"Copy Two-One, lasing target on the second floor!"

"Two-One copies, got a tally on six tangos, inbound hot."

Ghost dropped to one knee as the attack heli flew over head and released fire on the second floor of the compound. All that could be heard was the sound of the heli's guns and screams.

"The entrance is up ahead, keep moving!" Soap ordered as the helicopter retreated and flew off. Ghost took the lead and charged inside, spotting two tangos running towards him, he shot them both, then ducked down as the all too familiar sound of a bullet whizzed by his head. Soap appeared behind him, and Ghost remained still as Soap provided cover for him. When the bullets stopped flying it became deathly quiet.

"This is it. We go in, grab Prisoner 627, and get out. Check your corners, let's go." Soap whispered into his mic.

Ghost slowly rose to his feet and continued down the dimly lit corridor. There was a round room up ahead filled from top to bottom with boxes with blinking lights one them and tangles of cable and cords draped across the floor.

"That's the control room up ahead. I can use it to find the prisoner." Ghost said as he ran up to a small computer sitting on a messy desk in the corner of the small room. He quickly seated himself and began tying away at the keyboard.

"I'll tap into their system and look for the prisoner, It's gonna take some time." He said.

"Copy that. Roach, we're on cell duty. Follow me." Soap said as he made his way through a large fence like door and stepped into the dungeon like Gulag. Roach glanced back at Ghost, who was typing in incomprehensible words and numbers, before turning away and following his Captain into the depths of the Gulag. Ghost smiled to himself as he successfully hacked into the Gulag's control system.

"All right, I'm patched in. I'm tracking your progress on the security cameras." Ghost said into his headset. He glanced behind him and spotted Reaper, Archer, and Chemo guarding his back.

"Copy that! Do you have the location of prisoner 627?" Soap asked and Ghost gazed back at his computer screen.

"Negative, but I've got a searchlight tracking hostiles on your floor. That should make your job easier." Ghost replied as he gazed up at the security cameras above him. He watched the team successfully take out the enemies then went back to his search for 627. It wasn't long before Soap piped up again.

"Ghost, we've hit a security door, get it open." He ordered.

Ghost glanced up at the cameras and mentally noted their position before quickly turning back to the computer screen and pulling up the control menu , his eyes darting to find the right function on the menu.

"Workin' on it...this hardware is ancient!" Ghost replied as he opened another menu and hacked into the door that was in front of the team.

"Ghost, you opened the wrong door!" Soap said frustrated.

Ghost glanced up at the camera and noticed the door behind the one he was suppose to open was slowly opening. _Dammit…_

"Roger, standby..." Ghost said as he returned to the menu and chose the right door, "Got it!"

"That's better, let's go!"

He watched relieved as the correct door opened and the team proceeded before going back to his search. He had to hurry and locate 627.

"Talk to me Ghost...these cells are deserted!" Soap said.

Ghost quickly read over the information in front of him.

"Got it! Prisoner 627's been transferred to the east wing! Head through the armory in the center - that's the fastest way there." He said.

"Roger that! Squad, head for that armory down there! Move!" Soap ordered.

"Are there any games on that computer or anything?" Chemo sighed from his position at the Gulag doorway Soap and the others had gone through. Ghost turned to look at him with an eyebrow raised and an amused look, but all Chemo saw was the eerie glare of the skull on Ghost's mask glowing slightly in the darkness, gazing at him. He shivered slightly.

"Just kidding…" he mumbled.

Ghost chuckled before looking back up at the screens and that caused his heart to lurch.

"Bad news mate. I'm tracking three, no, four hostile squads converging on your position!" Ghost said to Soap.

"I can hear them coming...let's go! We're too exposed!"

Ghost spotted the door to the armory ahead and prepared to force it open, but it failed. Ghost frantically tried again and this time a warning appeared on the screen.

"Ghost! Open the door!" Soap yelled as the enemy began surrounding them.

"Bloody hell, they've locked it from the hardline. I'll have to run a bypass!" Ghost said as he began to panic.

"Too late! They're already here!"

Reaper, Archer, and Chemo turned and gazed over at Ghost with worry.

"Shit…" Ghost gasped as he frantically pounded the keyboard.

"Open the door!" Soap yelled desperately over the sound of gunfire.

Ghost typed even faster. If Soap and Roach were killed because he couldn't open a fucking door…

"Almost there! Routing through the auxiliary circuit..." Ghost said as he glanced at the security screens. The team was back to back, taking cover behind riot shields. One of them had already fallen.

"I got it! Go!" Ghost yelled as he finally broke the lock and the door opened.

"Go, go, go!" Soap ordered.

Ghost watched as the team slowly moved out of the armory and pushed their way forward with their riot shields. Ghost sighed. If those shields hadn't been there they would have been slaughtered.

"That was a close one." Reaper said softly from behind.

Ghost nodded.

"Too close if ya ask me mate." He replied.

Ghost watched the team continue to move and return fire and he glanced back down at the prisoner's location on the computer screen.

"Ghost here. Recommend you bypass the lower floors by rappelling out that window." He advised.

"Copy that! Roach, follow me!" Soap responded.

Ghost attempted to tap in to the cameras in that section but all that came back was blackness.

"The camera feed in solitary confinement is dead. The power must be down in that section." Ghost said.

"Roger that. Squad, switch to night vision."

Ghost sighed in frustration. With the power down in that area he would be helpless in aiding Soap and the others. They were going in blind. Sudden yelling from the entrance caused everyone to turn around. Reaper instantly lifted his gun and peeked around the corner before releasing a burst of bullets. There was a yell of pain then quiet.

"They know we're holding up in here." Reaper said as he kneeled and gazed down the corridor for any more signs of movement.

"We need to hurry and find 627 before they overwhelm us, he was just a scout." Archer added.

Ghost turned back to the computer.

"They're close. Right now I'm worried about the fact that they're –" Ghost was cut off as the entire building seemed to shake dangerously. The navy was firing on top of them.

"Shepherd, what the hell was that? Get the navy to cease fire!" Soap said angrily.

"The Navy isn't in a talking mood right now. Standby." Shephard answered.

Ghost shook his head angrily.

"Bloody idiots are gonna kill us…" he murmured.

"Bravo Six - they've agreed to stop firing for now. Keep going, I'll keep you posted. Out."

Ghost rolled his eyes.

"For _now_?" He repeated sarcastically.

"Focus Ghost, where to?" Soap asked.

"The old shower room's about thirty feet ahead on your left. You'll have to breach the wall to get in." Ghost answered as he followed the quickest route on a blueprint in front of him.

"Roach - plant the breaching charge on the wall, we're taking a shortcut." Soap said.

Ghost turned as he heard Reaper fire more rounds.

"They're starting to come in Ghost. If they get smart and throw a grenade in here we're all dead!"

Ghost quickly turned to Archer.

"Go down the corridor and plant some claymores near the entrance. We need a bit more time. Reaper, cover him."

"Spread out! Hostiles on the second floor! Take them out!" Soap's voice called out over the comms.

Ghost watched as Archer took off down the corridor with two claymores in hand and Reaper watched protectively from the control room.

"Heavy assault troops up ahead! Don't attack them head on! Move quickly and hit them from the side! Cook your grenades to detonate behind them!" Soap yelled.

What the hell was going on?

Ghost tapped into the cameras in the shower room and nearly gasped at the amount of hostiles in the area.

"Soap! Be advised there's tangos hiding behind the lockers further down from you!"

"Copy! Roach, toss a flashbang!"

Ghost watched as they spread out and fired up at the enemy above them on the second floor. Sometimes he wished he wasn't so good at the computer stuff so he could be part of the action.

"I'm heading for that hole in the far end of the showers! Follow me! Let's go! Go go go!" Soap said as he took off towards the back of the shower room. Ghost lost sight of the team as they followed and disappeared into the hole.

"Ghost, we're in the old tunnel system heading south-southwest." Soap said.

"Ok. Keep going along that tunnel." He replied as he followed along on the blueprint. He followed Soap's path until he saw the wall of 627's cell. An explosion from behind wavered Ghost's attention for a moment.

"That was one of the claymores sir." Archer said as he readied his weapon.

"Talk to me Ghost...I don't want to be down here when those ships start firing again." Soap said.

"Keep going, you're almost there." He answered.

There was another explosion.

"The other claymore. Ghost they're moving in!" Reaper said.

"I'm detecting two heat signatures - one of them should be Prisoner 627." Ghost said as he gazed up at the security screen which showed the silhouette of two men in the room. Ghost rose as Reaper and Archer began firing down the corridor.

"Ghost!" Chemo called.

"Alright, it's time to go! Hornet Two-One! Requesting immediate extraction from LZ one!" Ghost yelled into his headset as he picked up his ACR.

"Two-One copies, preparing to touch down."

"Two-Three ready to give cover fire, over."

"Roger that, let's move!" Ghost called to his team as he rushed down the corridor. Five tangos were rushing towards them but they were all quickly shot down by the hovering attack heli overhead.

"This is Bravo six! We're coming out of the Gulag entrance! Two-Three hold your fire!" Ghost said as he ran ahead.

"Two-Three copies. Holding fire."

Ghost, Reaper, Archer, and Chemo rushed out of the Gulag and to the awaiting chopper ahead of them. They all quickly climbed aboard.

"Clear! Let's go!" Ghost called to the pilot.

The helicopter lifted off and began circling the large castle like structure. Soap and the others were still inside and the navy was moving in and firing heavily.

"Shephard! This is Ghost, Soap and his team are still inside! I repeat they are still in the Gulag!"

There was no answer.

"Soap, can you hear me?" Ghost asked with growing worry and frustration.

"Ghost! We're trapped inside, the pave low can't spot us through the smoke!" Soap said.

"Whatever you're gonna do Soap, do it fast!" A voice said from Soap's side. Ghost didn't recognize the voice it all. A sudden burst of light appeared through the smoke. A flare. Ghost watched as a SPIE rig was lowered into the collapsing structure.

"Hurry Soap, that place is about to collapse on top of you!" Ghost yelled as he watched the walls start to crumble. A loud approaching noise caused Ghost to turn and watch with total horror. Three F-15's were closing in, and at the same time they shot off missiles at the Gulag.

"Soap!" Ghost called desperately as the entire complex was decimated by flames and explosions of rubble. Ghost was close to giving up hope, when he spotted the SPIE rig heaving five people out of the smoke as the flames rose from the explosion. The relief he felt in that moment sapped all the remaining strength out of his limbs.

"Ghost, we're safe and we have 627. You're not gonna believe who it is though mate. Seems you were right. We still have a mile left to run."

"Bloody hell Soap, I thought that was the end of you for a moment. And what do you mean?"

"I'll explain everything when we reach base, see you in a bit."

"Roger, and Soap, if you _ever_ scare me like that again, I'll make you _wished_ you had died when you had the chance." Ghost said.

The only response he got, was Soap's laughter.


	23. Chapter 23

As the helicopter slowly landed, Ghost's head was buzzing with curiosity. Who could 627 be? Soap had sounded happy when he had mentioned him. Ghost stepped off the chopper and smiled as Roach came up to him. The Sergeant's arm was wrapped in gauze and he had a slight limp to his step, but he returned the smile as Ghost threw an arm over his shoulder and walked with him to where Soap was waiting in his tent.

"What the bloody 'ell happened to you mate?" Ghost asked when they got away from the loud roar of the rotor blades.

"A bit of debris fell on me when we were trying to get out of the Gulag." The younger man replied.

Ghost rolled his eyes and sighed behind his mask.

"I swear you're bloody invincible sometimes…but I think your starting to get into a habit of testing your mortality. I'm not letting you out of my sight from here on out." He said.

"I think I'll be fine without a baby sitter." Roach replied before he tripped up on a rock poking out of the ground. Ghost kept Roach from falling over by pulling him up with the arm he had draped across his friend's shoulders.

"You were saying?" Ghost asked humorously.

"Shut up…" Roach mumbled.

Ghost released Roach with a chuckle as he stepped into the Captain's tent. Roach followed him in and when they were both inside, the two men paused their conversation and looked up at them. When Ghost spotted the man beside his Captain he recognized him right away from a photo Soap had shown him.

"Ghost, this is Captain John Price. He was my Captain before you joined," Soap turned to the older man who was staring at Ghost curiously, "Ghost came back to the SAS shortly after the incident with Zakhaev."

"Came back you say? What's your real name mate?" Price asked.

Ghost shuffled uncomfortably.

"Lieutenant Simon Riley, sir." He responded.

Price's eyes widened slightly. Ghost wasn't surprised this man had heard about him. His name was in every newspaper and on every news channel after being declared the main suspect of his family's murder. But that was one discussion he refused to have with this man and silently hoped Price would accept it and move on. Luckily he did.

"Well both of you get over here."

Ghost silently seated himself next to Soap and Roach pulled a chair next to Price. As Soap typed away on his keyboard, Ghost pulled his mask and sunglasses off and ran a hand through his short hair. He instantly felt Price's eyes on him, evaluating the long scar down his face. Usually Ghost wasn't bothered by this but Price's unwavering stare was unnerving. Ghost slowly turned his head and locked eyes with the battered veteran. Both pairs of icy blue eyes seemed to size each other up. Ghost held a length of respect for this man, mainly because he had fought alongside Soap, but this was a hardened man. Ghost had horrible trust issues after being betrayed multiple times in the past, so there were only a few people that he relied on, and Soap was the only one that had Ghost's undying loyalty. Soap was going to expect him to trust this man, and Ghost knew he wouldn't until Price had proven himself trustworthy. But he didn't know if Price could ever be. Torture changes a person, that's something Ghost knew all too well.

"Uplink nearly complete." Soap said.

Ghost turned his attention away from Price and gazed at the computer screen.

"General Shepherd you're online with Captain Price." Soap announced before handing the headset to Price.

""Out of the frying pan" is more like it. This world looks more like hell than the one I just left." He said into the headset as he reached over and began typing on the keyboard.

"You wanna put out an oil fire, Sir, you set off a bigger explosion right next to it. Sucks away the oxygen. Snuffs the flame."

Ghost ignored the conversation and turned to Soap.

"We have a few ideas of where Makarov is at. Shouldn't we be going after him?" He asked.

Soap gazed at his Lieutenant.

"Be patient mate. You know Shepherd. He's gonna give us task after task to make sure everything's set for when we take the bastard out."

"Heh, _Task_ Force…" Roach chuckled silently to himself.

Ghost and Soap both turned to look at him. Soap looked slightly irritated but Ghost was struggling to stifle a chuckle.

"Looks like we lost our connection." Price said as he turned towards them suddenly.

They all looked in his direction.

"But it's fine. I got our orders," He said, "We're going to Petropavlovsk, Russia. There's a sub there that contains 16 megatons of nuclear weaponry. It needs to be…disposed of."

"When do we leave?" Soap asked.

"Tomorrow morning. And if you don't mind Soap, I'd like to head this one up."

"Fine with me. I'm sure your ready to get back in the fight." Soap said.

"I never left the fight mate. I'm just ready to win it." Price replied.

Ghost didn't like the idea of taking orders from this man, but he figured it would be a good opportunity to see what Price was all about.


	24. Chapter 24

**Sorry this took so long, I got kind of lazy for a while lol. I want to give a special thanks to SuddenSummerStorm and my buddy Alyssa aka xGhostxStealth. Thanks for the motivation guys it means a lot! **

Ghost studied Price from behind his mask and the darkness of his sunglasses as they flew to their destination. The old Captain was deathly quiet, staring blankly down at the floor of the Pave Low. Something was on his mind.

"Are you really gonna put your life in the hands of a stranger?" a voice whispered in his ear.

Ghost jumped and looked over for the source of the voice, but Roach, who was seated next to him, was reading a book. The Sergeant looked up at him when he felt Ghost jerk suddenly. He was surprised to see Ghost gazing at him.

"Everything alright?" Roach asked.

Ghost continued to stare at Roach for a moment before he turned away and leaned his head back.

"Thought I heard something." Ghost answered quietly.

Roach watched Ghost for a moment before slowly turning back to his book.

"Did I startle you English?" the voice chuckled.

Ghost tightly shut his eyes. _Go away…_

"I told you I would visit you again. I hope you didn't miss me too much." Roba's voice teased.

Ghost continued to ignore the voice. He was beginning to think he had rid himself of this shit but it seems he was wrong.

"This old man you are with…I would not trust him." Roba whispered.

Ghost lowered his head into his hands. Why wouldn't it stop?

"You should kill him English…before he turns on you like Vernon did. Don't you remember that?" Roba asked.

"Alright everyone up," Price called out suddenly, "check your gear and make sure it's secure."

Ghost quickly rose to his feet, glad he could temporarily escape Roba's voice. Remembering Roach's knack for getting hurt he turned to the younger man and grabbed the straps to his friend's parachute. Roach gasped as Ghost sharply tugged the straps, tightening the parachute pack considerably.

"That's better," Ghost said, "You'll probably still find a way to get hurt though." He chuckled before giving Roach's shoulder a pat and turning back around.

Price walked passed Ghost and stood in front of a large red switch. He placed a hand on it and turned back to the team seeing if they were ready. He gave Roach a strange look when his eyes rested on the gasping Sergeant.

"You alright Roach?" Price asked.

Roach responded by giving him a slight nod as he struggled for air. Ghost smiled behind his mask. Price gave Roach another strange look before pulling the red switch that opened the large door to the pave low. Ghost grasped the framing on the inside of the pave low as the cold air threatened to suck them out. Price turned to face Ghost and nodded towards the open door.

"Your first Ghost. Let's go."

Ghost rolled his eyes. He was _always_ first to do the crazy shit, whether it was his decision or not. Nevertheless he ran forward and leaped into the freezing air. Ghost stretched his arms and legs out to maintain his balance as he fell. Being stuck in an awkward position could spell disaster, that was one scare Ghost had experienced while in the SAS. The sun was just now starting to rise over the surrounding mountains, so the air still had that icy edge to it. Ghost gazed around at the blanket of white snow that covered every inch of land for miles. Most people were terrified of freefalling but Ghost enjoyed it. The weightless feeling was soothing especially when you were falling into a winter wonderland waiting beneath you. The snow covered mountains, the frozen lakes, everything was beautiful. But soon this beauty would be bloodstained from the killing that was about to commence. Ghost sighed. That's how it always seemed to be…with everything.

Once he was close enough, Ghost released his parachute and slowly drifted to the ground. His feet hit the snow with a crunch as he jogged a bit to slow his momentum. Ghost unhooked the parachute pack and crouched behind some brush, surveying the area around him. A few moments passed before he heard a familiar voice in his headset.

"Ghost, this is Archer, I've got you in sight, coming up on your six."

"Roger. Take it slow mate." Ghost replied quietly.

A movement caught Ghost's eye and he gazed through the scope on his M14 EBR before sighing in relief.

"Cannibal, Chemo. Four o' clock straight up the hill."

He watched as the two men changed direction and walked slowly towards him. Ghost turned as he heard the crunch of snow behind him. Archer appeared and kneeled next to the Lieutenant.

"Still no sign of Price or Roach." Archer said, his breath visible in the cold.

Ghost waited until Chemo and Cannibal had joined them before reaching for his headset.

"Price, do you copy?"

There was no answer.

"Roach, can you hear me mate?"

Still, no answer.

"Soap, this is Ghost. I can't get in touch with Price or Roach, do you spot them on your satellite feed?"

"I've got Price, but not Roach. Standby."

Ghost exhaled deeply and looked over the men surrounding him.

"Is everyone alright? No rough landings?" he asked, mainly just to lighten the mood.

"I hit a tree…" Chemo mumbled as he rubbed his shoulder.

"How the bloody 'ell did you not see a tree coming?" Ghost asked humorously causing Archer and Cannibal to snigger quietly.

"Ghost," Soap's voice piped up suddenly, "I've got eyes on Price and Roach. You and the others have landed pretty far to the east of their position. Continue with the mission and Price will meet up with you if he can."

"Understood," Ghost answered before rising to his feet and gazing down at his team.

"Let's do this." Ghost said to them and then began moving quickly into the trees. The rest of the team instantly stood and followed closely behind.

Archer's sharp eyes gazed out across of the land ahead of them as he moved alongside Ghost. He held his M14 at the ready in case he might spot hostiles nearby. Archer couldn't help but feel relieved that he had landed near Ghost rather than Price, and he was sure Roach had wished he had as well. It was obvious that Roach looked up to Ghost, maybe even more so than he did MacTavish. Roach was the youngest of the Task Force, so it was only natural he idolized someone highly respected, and Ghost happened to be that person. Archer smiled as he remembered how Ghost picked at Roach every time the opportunity came by. Roach never seemed to mind, in fact it only brought him and the Lieutenant closer. Ghost and MacTavish had always had a strong brother like connection and it seemed that Roach, being the baby of the bunch, had managed to squeeze himself in there to milk some of the attention. Archer envied that, he had to admit. Everyone in the 141 looked up to these guys. Ghost would have a brief conversation with you, but he never seemed to want to befriend any of the members. Sure he had your back no matter what, and you could always feel safe around him, but he never would actually let you in and that puzzled Archer. He had a lot of strong connections with the others, even had spent some time with MacTavish himself, but never with Ghost. Archer gazed at the Lieutenant beside him for a moment. Ghost was a strange one, but the fact that he wouldn't allow himself to get close to anyone made Archer want to get to know him more. He doubt it would happen, Roach happened to get lucky somehow and now that Ghost would either be with Roach or MacTavish there wasn't room for anyone else. Archer smirked to himself. He felt like a child craving attention from a parent.

"Everyone get down." Ghost whispered urgently.

Archer dropped to the ground next to their leader and gazed ahead. He cursed himself for not focusing, he could have spotted the group of tangos ahead before Ghost did. _Again with the attention craving… _Archer thought to himself. It was a small group of maybe five men huddled close together chatting away, oblivious to Ghost and his team not thirty yards away.

"I've got the two on the far right. Archer take the one in the middle, Chemo the one next to him, and Cannibal the one on the far left. On 3. One…two…three." Ghost said and the team fired their silenced snipers. All five of the men fell to the ground without a sound.

"Well done, all of you." Ghost said as he rose and made his way to the area to make sure they were all dead. Archer remained where he was, making sure there was no one else that could pose a threat to them. When he saw Ghost and the others moving on, Archer rose and followed. A sudden low growl from a nearby bush caused him to freeze in his tracks. Archer had always had a fear of dogs, ever since he was chased and nearly bitten by a rabid one when he was five. The large German Shepherd leaped from the bushes it had been hiding in after its owners were shot by Ghost's team. Archer hardly had time to react as the large eighty pound dog closed its jaws less than six inches from Archer's neck. Out of complete terror and shock, Archer tripped up and fell backwards into the snow. The dog was on him in seconds and quickly went for his neck again. Archer instinctively blocked his throat and face with his arms and cried out when the dog buried its teeth in his right forearm. After viciously shaking and ripping up Archer's arm, the dog released him and readied itself for another try at Archer's neck. Archer watched weighed eyed with panic as the dog opened its saliva dripping jaws, but before it could strike there was a thud and a spray of blood from the dog's side. It cried out and fell to the side from the force of the bullet and instantly went still. Archer remained on his back in the snow, trying to slow his heart rate and catch his breath. In the corner of his eyes he saw Ghost lower his M14.

"Archer!" Ghost called with worry as he ran up.

He kneeled next to Archer and noticed he was shaking violently. Blood was oozing steadily from his arm. Chemo quickly pulled a first aid kit from his pack and opened it up. As Chemo fumbled for a rabies vaccination and a bandage to wrap the wounds, Ghost gently lifted Archer's back so he was sitting up. He was still shaking uncontrollably, and his eyes were wide and wild with fear. Ghost kneeled behind Archer, allowing him to lean back into his chest as Chemo quickly pulled up Archer's sleeve and injected the vaccine. Ghost winced as he spotted the deep teeth marks.

"Your gonna be fine mate, we'll have you stitched up in no time." Ghost said in an effort to soothe his comrade. The utter fear in Archer's eyes was obvious and Ghost understood what it was like to be that scared, he had always had a horrible fear of spiders and scorpions and when Roba discovered this while he was captured, he was locked into a box filled with the vile creatures for hours at a time. Archer flinched when the bandage touched his wound, and Ghost reached out and held his comrade's arm steady as Chemo began wrapping the bandage around the blood covered arm. Archer slowly looked down at the corpse of the dog then gazed up at Ghost who was looking over his shoulder at Chemo.

"Thanks Ghost." Archer whispered shakily.

Ghost turned his attention to Archer.

"No problem mate, just take deep breaths for me." Ghost said softly as Chemo pulled the bandage tight and pinned it.

"He needs stitches Ghost, those bite marks are deep." Chemo said as he rose to his feet.

"I know, but there's no way we can get him out of here right now," Ghost answered then looked down at Archer, "I need you to hang in there mate."

Archer nodded.

"I'll be fine…"

Ghost smiled beneath his mask and supported Archer as he slowly got to his feet. Cannibal reached down and picked up Archer's dropped sniper rifle and handed it to him. He accepted it as he gazed down at the dog and shivered visibly. Ghost gave his back a gentle pat.

"Come on, we need to keep moving." He said as he started walking again.

A sudden explosion caused everyone to freeze for a moment.

"Let's go!" Ghost yelled as he rushed ahead towards the sound. Ghost and his team ran through the woods until they opened up and the team stood before the large sub base. There was another explosion as a predator missile struck the base blindly, damaging a few buildings.

"That was a predator missile." Ghost said. "Price is nearby."

"Ghost look," Cannibal said pointing to a mobile SAM.

Ghost spotted it sitting not far on a hill.

"Come on," he ordered.

Ghost ran ahead and found some crates sitting out with weapons inside. He smiled as he located an ACR with a red dot sight. His favorite gun. And then he found something even better, an AT4. Ghost heaved the missile launcher onto his shoulder and took aim at the SAM site. There was a beep as it locked on and he let the missile fly. The SAM site exploded into pieces. Ghost turned to head for nearby cover when he spotted Roach and Price coming down a hill towards them.

"Check your fire! Check your fire! Friendlies coming up at your 12!" He called as he and his team came up to them.

"Nice work on that SAM site." Price said as Ghost kneeled next to him.

"Thanks, but we better hurry, those explosions are gonna attract a lot of attention." Ghost replied.

Price nodded in agreement.

"We need to get to the sub docks, let's go!" He ordered.

Ghost was the first to break cover. He stumbled slightly as bullets flew dangerously close to his head. Once he reached the building on the other side, he crouched and returned fire with his ACR so that that the rest of the team could follow.

"AGM missile is online." Soap said suddenly over their comms.

"Roach!" Ghost called.

"I'm on it!" He answered as he pulled out the small computer control.

Ghost stopped firing and ran out into the open when he heard the familiar hiss of the predator missile. He made his way across the compound as the missile hit the enemy dead on.

"Multiple confirmed kills, good job Roach." Soap said.

"Soap, we've linked up with Ghost and the rest of the team." Price said.

"Roger that. The second Predator is almost in position. Make it count, these things don't grow on trees."

Ghost crouched down and let his eyes scan over the large base. The sub wasn't far. The sudden noise of rotor blades stole his attention and Ghost spotted an attack helicopter readying itself.

"There's the submarine! Right below that crane! Roach, soften up their defenses with the Predator! Watch for the flashing strobes. That's us."

Ghost watched with proud satisfaction as the missile smashed into the helicopter before it could take off.

"That got their attention! The whole base is on alert! You better hurry. You've only got a couple minutes before that submarine dives."

"We're moving!" Price said as e took off for the submarine.

Ghost rose and followed as did the rest of the team.

"Keep picking 'em off with the predator mate," Ghost said to Roach who was running next to him, "I'll watch your back."

Roach nodded and kneeled behind a large crate, Ghost stood protectively over him, shooting every enemy that his red dot landed on. Another missile flew from the sky and pounded into the ground nearby.

"Five plus KIAs. Good hit. Good hit." Soap complemented.

Roach rose and moved on and Ghost followed. They were running out of time and had to move fast. Ghost glanced over at a Task Force member nearby and rushed to his side.

"You holding up okay?" Ghost asked as he surveyed the blood soaking through Archer's bandage. Archer fired off a few more rounds then turned to Ghost while he reloaded.

"Yea I'll make it," Archer said smiling slightly.

Ghost returned the smile, even though it was hidden by his mask, then rushed and followed Roach as he knelt behind some fueling trucks. Ghost offered his protection again as Roach brought another missile down on the enemy lessening their ranks tremendously.

"You're halfway there!" Soap called.

Ghost rushed ahead and shot down three men attempting to take cover nearby.

"We're running out of time!" Ghost yelled above the gunfire.

Price appeared and knelt next to Ghost.

"Roach, there's a BTR guarding the sub! Take it out!" He ordered.

Ghost continued to fire and take out enemies until the missile came down and destroyed the BTR, then he rose and followed Price as he approached the still docked sub.

"I'm going for the sub! Cover me from that guardhouse by the west gate!" Price ordered.

"Sir, you can't take this thing over alone, I'm coming with you." Ghost said as he followed.

"No," Price said turning to face the Lieutenant, "I gave you an order Ghost. Get the team up to the roof and cover me."

Frustration and anger boiled up in Ghost's stomach. There was no way Price could clear out the sub alone. Something was up, Ghost could feel it. Nevertheless he turned and made his way to one of the buildings.

"Roach, we have to get to that guardhouse by the west gate to cover Price! Follow me!" Ghost called as he spotted Roach taking cover behind a truck.

Ghost made his way up a ladder and onto the roof. Archer, Cannibal, Chemo, and finally Roach joined him and began returning fire to the enemy scurrying around below them.

"Incoming! Two trucks to the east!" Ghost said.

Roach quickly sent a predator missile down on them, destroying them both in a ball of flame in debris.

"Contact to the north, on the dock next to the sub!" Ghost advised.

Suddenly the sub's silo doors began to open.

"Price, are you there? The silo doors are opening on the sub, I repeat, the silo doors are opening on the sub!" Ghost said into his headset.

There was no answer.

"Price, come in! They're opening the silo doors on the sub! Hurry!"

Still no answer. Ghost's heart was racing.

"Price, do you copy? The silo doors are open, I repeat, the silo doors are open!" Ghost said practically screaming into his headset.

"Good." Came Price's calm reply.

There was a large burst of flame as the head of a nuclear missile appeared from the sub.

"Wait, wait, Price, no!" Ghost yelled.

Ghost and his team lowered their weapons as they watched the large missile of destruction launch into the air. This is what Price _wanted. _He had _lied_ to them and used them to get to the missile. He knew Price had known what he was doing, but the fact that he had lied to them all, and had gone against Shepherd's orders sent sparks of anger through Ghost.

"We have a nuclear missile launch.Missile in the air! Missile in the air! Code Black, Code Black!" Ghost said into his mic.

"What the hell just happened?" Soap yelled.

"Still trying to figure that out. Price launched the missile. Now heading to the LZ." Ghost answered as he made for the ladder.

Soap was quiet for a moment.

"Hurry up and get the hell out of there," he finally said sounding tired, "We'll discuss this when everyone gets back."

For Ghost there was nothing to discuss. He didn't care what Price's intentions were, coming into the Task Force, taking command, and then lying to them so that he could go rogue to end the war his own way was unacceptable to the Lieutenant. Trust is an important asset to any team, once your loyalties become unpredictable…so do you.


	25. Chapter 25

Roach was feeling some tenseness from Ghost. The Lieutenant hadn't said a word the entire way back, instead he had toyed idly with his ACR or simply just stared at the floor. Normally Roach would try to speak to his friend in an effort to cheer him up, but everyone in the chopper was deathly quiet. Probably still in shock of Price unexpectedly launching a nuclear missile and not yet explaining why he did it. Roach knew the old Captain had a reason for doing it, the man wasn't stupid, but it was just so…unexpected.

When the chopper finally landed, Ghost was the first one out. As soon as he stepped out of the bird he came face to face with Soap.

"Where's Price?" Soap asked, gazing over his Lieutenant's shoulder.

"Right here Soap." Price responded as he stepped off the chopper and stood beside Ghost.

Soap gazed at Ghost for a moment. Even though he wore the mask and sunglasses, Soap could tell Ghost was pissed to the core.

"I just spoke with Shepherd. He's far from happy with what you did. The nuke destroyed the International Space Station but did provide an EMP that was crucial in keeping Washington DC in American control. I'm assuming that's what you were expecting." Soap said.

"Call it bittersweet, but it got the job done." Price answered.

"It got _your _job done. We weren't even supposed to be at the sub base were we?" Ghost said angrily.

Both Captains turned their attention to him.

"Ghost…" Soap said softly, it was a cross of a warning and a plea.

"Let him talk Soap," Price said before turning his attention back to Ghost, "the war needed to end, and I did what was necessary."

"It's not about that," Ghost said, "It's the fact that you lied to us. You lied to Soap, to me, to the entire 141. How can you expect us to trust a leader who doesn't trust us enough to inform us of our mission? It would be nice to know exactly _why_ we're risking our lives."

Price seemed to study Ghost for a moment.

"It's hard doing this line of work after being betrayed isn't it?" He asked suddenly.

Ghost was silent for a moment, caught off guard by the words. He wasn't sure how to respond. Ghost glanced at Soap, who seemed just as surprised.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Ghost said as he looked back at Price.

"I may be getting old, but I'm not dense mate," Price said, "You're still young, too young to have experienced the things you have experienced. I've noticed the scar on your face, that was no accident. Someone put that there."

Ghost gazed down at the ground.

"And you don't look like the type that would allow your arse to be kicked. No, you were tortured weren't you? And you got in that position by putting your trust in the wrong person," Price continued, "I know what happened with your family. A lot of people do, it was a popular story when it happened, especially when you set fire to the apartment and faked your own death Riley."

"Riley's dead," Ghost said suddenly as he raised his head, "And I'm not talking about this with you."

Price paused at the anger in the Lieutenant's voice.

"My point is, I don't be blame you for being angry. I probably would be to if I was in your position. And I truly wouldn't expect you to trust me, cause you've obviously been through a lot and I'm not going to say I won't do something like this again."

"Even if you did it wouldn't change anything." Ghost said.

"Ghost, that's enough." Soap said softly, stepping between them.

Ghost was Soap's best friend, but he couldn't allow his Lieutenant to disrespect the old Captain. Soap agreed with Ghost, Price could have gone about everything a different way, but for now, the angry Lieutenant needed to calm himself. Soap grasped Ghost's shoulder and pulled him away from Price.

"Listen mate," Soap said as they walked, "why don't you grab a bite to eat and rest up. I understand you're angry, but Price was my Captain once and I know him well enough to not question his motives."

"I hope you don't expect me to do the same." Ghost said.

Soap shook his head.

"No. But I can't have you challenging him like that."

Ghost sighed.

"I'm sorry Soap. It's just…" Ghost said trailing off.

"It's hard, I know," Soap finished, "I understand that. But tomorrow we take out Makarov and finish this once and for all, so I want you focused. We're almost done."

Ghost didn't reply as he felt the familiar feeling of anxiety eat at his insides.

"Had anymore nightmares?" Soap asked as they came to a halt.

Ghost shrugged his shoulders.

"Not really, they've slowly been fading. Haven't had anything big happen since we questioned Rojas."

"Good." Soap said relieved.

Ghost smiled.

"I told you I'd be fine. It's all in my head, there's only been one that's…bothered me a bit."

"What happened?" Soap asked.

Ghost was about to tell Soap about the dream with Vernon when he paused. Vernon had warned Ghost of a traitor, and because of the recent argument about trust with Price, Ghost felt that telling his Captain about this may not be the best thing to do. Soap would probably get angry, thinking that Ghost would be intending that Price is the traitor.

"I dreamed about someone I used to know warning me that something bad was going to happen. And it's been eating at me since."

"It was just a dream." Soap said.

"I know, it was just…I don't know, strange."

"I wouldn't think anything of it, you don't need added stress. Go get rested and I'll see you at dinner."

Ghost nodded in response and watched as Soap headed back to Price who was chatting with a couple of 141 members. Ghost sighed and turned away when he spotted Chemo walking Archer to the medical tent.

Archer winced as the bandages were removed from his arm to reveal the deep bloody bite marks.

"Has he had a rabies vaccine yet?" The doctor asked as he injected something to kill the pain.

"Yea." Chemo answered.

Archer gritted his teeth as Doc poured warm water over the wound to wash the blood away, then dabbed it dry with a towel. His arm finally went numb as Doc started stitching the grisly wound shut.

"Think you could have a picked a fight with a bigger bloody dog?"

Archer looked up to see Ghost stepping inside and smiled at the Lieutenant.

"I needed a challenge." He replied.

Ghost chuckled and seated himself next Archer, watching as the doctor skillfully ran the needle in and out of his friend's flesh.

"Once I'm done with this I need to check your side if you don't mind." Doc said without looking at Ghost.

"No I don't mind," Ghost said as he removed his mask, "I'm ready for these stitches to come out anyway."

"Ever figure out why Price shot off that nuclear missile?" Archer asked.

Ghost turned his blue eyes to Archer and sighed.

"He timed it to detonate in the upper atmosphere as an EMP. Because of it, Washington is safe."

"Well that's nice and everything but weren't we sent to destroy it?"

"We weren't sent there at all," Ghost said, "Price lied to us."

Archer's eyes widened.

"Why would he do that?" he asked softly.

Ghost shook his head.

"I don't know. I'll just be glad when all of this is over. We go after Makarov tomorrow." He answered.

"Finally," Archer sighed as he turned and watched the doctor continue to stitch him up.

"Terrified of dogs aren't you?" Ghost asked.

Archer nodded.

"I was chased and nearly attacked by a rabid one when I was little. Most horrific experience of my life and I'll never forget it."

Ghost simply nodded in response.

"Any fears of your own?" Archer asked.

"Spiders. I hate those bloody things. Don't tell any of the others though, I'd never hear the end of it." Ghost smirked.

"Alright, you're done." Doc said suddenly, "I'm putting you antibiotics to prevent infection, and you need to clean it regularly."

"Sure thing Doc." Archer answered.

"Your turn Lieutenant."

Ghost slipped off his gear, jacket, and shirt. The second degree burns on his side had healed quickly but had left nasty burn scars in their place. The skin around the stitches had returned to its natural color.

"Oh yea, these are ready to come out." The doctor said as he slowly began cutting the stitches.

Archer had noticed another large scar on Ghost's left side and identical one on the left side of Ghost's back, as if something large had pierced his body straight through. There was another scar on Ghost's right side as well, and Archer recognized it as a bullet wound. He wanted to know the stories behind these battle wounds but most of all, he wanted to know the story behind the long scar down the side of Ghost's face and neck. It didn't take long for the stitches to come out. After redressing himself, Ghost and Archer thanked the doctor and left.

"I'm gonna hit the showers up and grab some food," Ghost said, "I suggest you do the same. Get some rest, and take care of that arm."

Archer smiled.

"Yes sir." He said.

Ghost returned the smile and gave his friend's back a pat before walking off. As Ghost walked he imagined the shower he was about to take. It was going to be the longest hottest shower he had ever had in his life and he couldn't wait.

"Ghost!"

Ghost turned to see Roach coming towards him. He greeted his friend with a small smile as he walked up.

"Shepherd is on the line for the briefing." Roach said.

Ghost rolled his eyes.

"Alright," he sighed, "let's go."

Soap and Price turned when Ghost and Roach entered.

"This won't take but a minute and then I'll let you two get some rest." Soap said before pressing a button on his laptop, "General Shepherd, we're all present."

"It's been a tough week, gentlemen," Shepherd's voice said from the speakers, "We've lost more than we ever dreamed. But we will recover. I've got a blank check. And we're gonna use every cent of it killin' Makarov. Despite what the world may say, we are not savages, we don't kill civilians. We use precision. There's an evil man hiding in these shadows and we're gonna bring him into the light. Once his face is revealed, we will write history, gentlemen."

Two locations appeared on the screen. One in the Caucasus Mountains, the other in Afghanastan.

"These are the last safe havens left on Earth for Makarov and his men." Soap said.

"Sounds like we gotta be in two places at once." Price observed.

"Impossible?" Shepherd asked.

"Not for the 141." Soap replied.

"Fifty-fifty chance to take out Makarov, eh?" Ghost said as he crossed his arms and observed the two locations, "Tavish, request permission to take the safehouse with Roach."

Soap nodded.

"Soap and I will take the boneyard in Afghanistan." Price said.

"Very well. We will cut off all avenues of escape. This ends tomorrow."

With that, the feed was cut and Soap turned to Roach and Ghost.

"Alright, the two of you are free to go. I'll see you both at dinner. And Ghost, DO NOT flick food in my eye this time." Soap said.

Ghost smiled.

"Don't start anything and I won't."Ghost replied before stepping outside.

"I'm gonna take such a long shower," Roach said as he and Ghost made their way towards the barracks.

"I hear ya mate. Then I'm gonna stuff my face full of food." Ghost said.

Roach smiled, then sighed as he gazed out across the camp.

"What's wrong?" Ghost asked as he noticed Roach's expression change.

"I don't know. I'm just…worried about tomorrow I guess."

"What are you worried about?"

"Just the fact that this is it, you know? Murphy's Law is eating at my head."

Ghost smirked.

"I feel the same way mate. But there's nothing we can do other than have each other's back and hope for the best."

"I'm glad I'm going with you and not Captain Price," Roach said, "I mean he's an alright guy, he just…I don't know, kind of creeps me out."

Ghost laughed.

"And the one that wears the skull mask all the time and hallucinates _doesn't _creep you out?"

Roach rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean. I know you…and not him, he's just…I don't know, shut up."

Ghost smiled and shook his head.

Once he had showered and shared a meal with his comrades, Ghost curled up into his blankets and sighed as he slowly shut his eyes. He was exhausted, and the lack of sleep had finally caught up with him. What pissed him off was that he had to be up pretty early. Why couldn't he just sleep in _one_ day? Once Makarov was dead, and all of this warefare was over, Ghost wasn't going to leave his bed for a week. But soon, Ghost's thoughts became nothing as he slipped into a much needed sleep.


	26. Chapter 26

"I keep getting this feeling that you're not listening to me."

Ghost's eyes shot open at the voice and he spotted Vernon standing over his bed.

"You." Ghost hissed as he tried to jump up and grab the man, but Vernon was quick, and Ghost fell back clutching his neck after Vernon stuck a needle in his flesh and injected an unknown liquid into his body.

"I'm trying to help you Riley. You need to listen to me."

"I'm done listening to you," Ghost said as he felt his body start to grow weak, "You betrayed me. Your nothing to me now."

"You're going to lose a lot more if you don't heed my warning."

Ghost groaned as a sharp pain traveled up his spine.

"What the bloody 'ell did you do to me?" He said through clenched teeth.

"That's not important. What is, is everything you will lose if you go after Makarov tomorrow."

Ghost smiled bitterly.

"You siding with a terrorist now? Wow that's a step up Vernon, crazed drug lord to insane terrorist, I'm proud of you."

"What is it going to take for you to listen to me?" Vernon asked growing angry.

"Maybe if you became someone I hate a little less, like Satan for example." Ghost retorted.

Vernon went silent and glared down at Ghost for a moment.

"Seems there's only one way to get this message across." He said softly before turning and leaving Ghost's quarters.

Ghost watched him go, curiosity eating at him. He tried to lift himself from his bed, but his body wouldn't respond. Every muscle in his body felt weak and stiff.

"Let me go!"

Ghost pricked up at the sound of Roach's voice.

"Stay calm Roach."

Soap. Ghost swallowed. His fears were confirmed when Vernon reappeared and shoved his two friends to the ground in front of his bed.

"What are you doing? Let them go!" Ghost yelled.

Vernon ignored Ghost and pulled out a pistol. He placed it to Roach's head.

"No! Stop!" Ghost yelled as he struggled to lift himself. His muscles shook in protest.

"You're the only one that can save them Riley." Vernon said as he cocked the pistol.

"I'll do whatever you want just leave them alone!" Ghost said practically screaming.

"Ghost…" Roach whispered in fear, his eyes wide.

"It'll be ok Roach." Ghost said to his friend, even though the shaking in his voice betrayed his fear.

"He's lying." Vernon said and then pulled the trigger.

"No!" Ghost screamed as he found strength and surged forward only to collapse to the ground beside his bed. Vernon's gun moved to Soap.

"Please…Vernon please…"Ghost begged as the tears flowed down his face.

"Now you're starting to understand." Vernon said. Then he pulled the trigger.

Ghost's eyes jolted open when he was shaken awake by Roach.

"Ghost, it's time to go, why aren't you awake you lazy—" Roach began and went quiet when he noticed the tears in Ghost's eyes.

"Ghost? Are you alright?" He asked softly helping the Lieutenant to sit up.

When Ghost laid eyes on Roach such a feeling of relief came over him that he nearly grabbed the younger man and pulled him into an embrace. Instead Ghost shuddered and rose to his feet.

"I'm fine," he whispered to Roach, "Just glad you woke me, You could have done it a bit earlier though."

"Ghost, what happened?"

Ghost shook his head.

"Very realistic nightmare like always, that's all," Ghost answered reaching for his gear, "I'll meet you by the chopper in a few."

Roach watched Ghost for a moment in silence before finally turning and leaving. Ghost took a few shuddering breaths, then shook off the nightmare and dressed himself. He reached for his mask and gazed into his mirror when he straightened back up. His eyes ran across his scar and he shivered slightly. _Pull yourself together, almost done._

Once Ghost made it to the two awaiting helicopters, he was met by Price and Soap. Soap reached for the Lieutenant and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Take care of yourself out there." Soap said into his ear, "See ya back at the base once this is over."

They separated and Ghost smiled at his friend.

"Once this is over, we're hitting up a bar to celebrate."

Soap chuckled.

"I hear ya mate."

Ghost turned to Price and offered a hand. Price smiled and accepted it.

"We'll see you again soon. Good luck mate."

Ghost smiled.

"Good luck on your end as well Captain Price." He said before turning and jumping into the helicopter where his team waited. Ghost gave them both a wave as the chopper rose in the air, then gazed at Roach who was seated beside him. The Sergeant sighed and layed his head back against the cold metal behind him. He looked stressed.

"It'll be ok Roach." Ghost said softly to him, then froze as he realized they were the same words he spoke in his dream.

"You're probably right, I'm just nervous about this one."

Ghost smiled.

"I'll keep an eye on you. I always do." Ghost told him.

Roach smiled and sighed again only this time it sounded relieved. Ghost turned and gazed outside at the world passing by. He was nervous about this mission to. But the main emotion he felt at the moment was relief. Relief that the two people he cared about most were alive and well and that the nightmare he experienced was just that, a nightmare. Ghost couldn't begin to imagine why he would have such a horrible dream. That one dream had threatened to rip him apart, and he shivered again as he remembered it all too vaguely. Ghost gazed at his team. Scarecrow, Chemo, Cannibal, Archer, Toad, and Roach. They were all sitting around him. Reaper, Neon, and a few others had gone with Soap and Price. For once, the 141's temporary camp was empty. This was almost over. Just a little bit more. Just one more thing to do and then it was back to the relaxation and good times. Ghost gazed up at the clouds that surrounded him. Yes, today was going to be a beautiful day.


	27. Chapter 27

"Snipers in position." Archer's voice said over the comms.

Ghost gazed up at where Archer and Toad were barely visible on the cliff top. He rose from his crouch and began to move forward.

"Strike team go, engage Makarov on sight." Ghost ordered quietly.

"Roger that." Scarecrow said.

"Solid copy." said Chemo.

There was a grassy opening ahead and Ghost paused at the edge of it.

"Have you noticed how quiet it is?" Roach whispered next to him.

Ghost glanced at his comrade. Roach had been sticking close to his side since they left the chopper and was now peering nervously around. Ghost looked back at the opening and the tall grass ahead of them. Roach was right, there wasn't even the sound of a bird chirping. Ghost clutched his ACR tighter. They had to keep moving before they lost the element of surprise, but a gut feeling kept him rooted to the spot.

"Ghost?" Roach whispered.

Once again Ghost rose and moved forward.

"Let's go."

For the first time since they arrived, Roach broke away from Ghost's side. He instantly regretted it as, out of nowhere, a land mine launched itself into the air in front of him. Roach had just enough time to hit the ground as the mine exploded, deafening him momentarily and blurring his vision.

"Ambush!" Ghost yelled into the comms. His voice was merely an echo to Roach's temporarily damaged hearing.

Bullets were whizzing from some cliffs and Ghost fired back when he saw Cannibal fall to the ground.

"Targets! Left side! Left side!" He yelled as he rushed to Cannibal's side.

Scarecrow followed and provided cover fire as Ghost kneeled next to his comrade and checked his pulse. There wasn't one. Ghost closed his eyes and sighed. There was no possible way Makarov's men should have known they were coming. Makraov's men had been _waiting_ on them, they had known when and where Ghost's team would be coming from. Ghost placed a hand on Cannibal's unmoving chest.

"I'll come back for you, mate." He said softly.

"They've got this area presighted for mortar fire!" Archer called out in Ghost's headset.

Ghost quickly rose to his feet and ran towards the smoke.

"Counterattack into the smoke! Push push push!" He ordered.

As he ran Ghost noticed Roach still struggling to recover from the landmine blast.

"Roach! Head for the smoke, your gonna get hit by a mortar!"

Roach tried to follow Scarecrow and Chemo as they ran into the smoke, but an explosion close behind him caused him to stumble and nearly fall. He was caught by Ghost's strong arms and pulled into the smoke as another explosion erupted the soil where he had been standing seconds before. Ghost pulled Roach behind a large tree and fired on Makarov's men as they ran through the woods towards them.

"Thanks." Roach gasped as he tried to pull himself together.

Ghost crouched beside Roach as he reloaded his ACR.

"Don't mention it mate. Stay close, we're gonna make it through this."

Roach nodded in response and followed Ghost as he broke cover, took out 3 of Makarov's men, then took cover behind another tree. Ghost noticed that the smoke was beginning to clear, so the enemies were becoming more visible.

"Two targets left, Ghost, on your nine." Archer said.

Ghost turned to the left and spotted them. One hiding behind a tree, the other peeking over the top of a small steep hill. Ghost took aim at the tree, waiting for the man to make a move. Once he spotted the head leave the cover of the tree to note his comrade's positions, Ghost scored a shot between the eyes and watched as the lifeless body collapsed backwards. Before the last man could make a move to retreat, Archer's sniper found him.

"Looks like their ambush turned on them." Chemo said.

"Not quite," Ghost responded as he moved toward the road, "They killed Cannibal."

"We got two trucks leaving the target building." Archer said suddenly.

"Don't let those trucks get away!" Ghost ordered.

"Roger! Firing Javelin, danger close!" Archer replied.

"Javelin, danger close! Get back from the road!" Ghost ordered as the trucks drove by them.

"Two away!" Archer said over the comms.

Ghost gazed up and spotted the missiles coming down before slamming into both trucks and sending them up in flames.

"Moving vehicles have been neutralized. Be advised, we have not, I repeat, we have not spotted Makarov, and no one else has left the house. Those trucks may have been decoys Over." Archer said.

"Roger that, we're advancing on the house now." Ghost said as he ran up to the front door. There were five men guarding the outside, but they were quickly taken down by Ghost's team. Ghost kneeled next to the large front door.

"Breach and clear the safehouse." Ghost said nodding to Roach.

Roach planted the charge on the door and they both readied themselves as the door exploded into fragments. Ghost and Roach rushed in side by side, Roach taking out the men running down the stairs and Ghost neutralizing the rest that were attempting to take shelter behind pieces of furniture. Ghost turned and spotted Chemo and Scarecrow clearing the kitchen and exploring the rest of the middle section of the house to ensure it was clear. Ghost stepped into a small room in the front and didn't hesitate when a man appeared with a shotgun. Ghost planted a bullet in the man's chest before he could react or get a word out.

"Kitchen and dining room clear." Scarecrow said.

"Roach, go upstairs and breach and clear all the rooms." Ghost said as he came out of the front room.

Roach nodded and slowly made his way to the second floor. Ghost watched him go and turned to Scarecrow.

"Go with him, it's tight up there and I don't want anyone to sneak up on him."

"Yes, sir." Scarecrow said as he quickly followed Roach up the stairs. Ghost turned his attention back to the front yard and let his eyes scan across for movement. He crouched next to the door and continued to stare outside as he heard yells and gunshots above him.

"Top floor clear." Scarecrow announced as he and Roach made their way back down the stairs. Ghost narrowed his eyes as he spotted a slight movement behind a truck.

"Roach and Scarecrow, head down to the basement and clear it. Chemo, cover me." Ghost said.

"Target twenty feet from the front door." Archer said.

"Already on it." Ghost said as he stealthily made his way across the driveway. The man was oblivious to Ghost being inches away from him, and when he finally turned to come face to face with the masked Lieutenant, he only had time to give a sharp cry of surprise before Ghost's blade buried itself deep in the man's throat. The man fell to the ground convulsing as blood squirted out of his mouth. Ghost clutched his knife tighter. He was torn between letting his enemy suffer and finishing the job to put him out of his misery. He realized he didn't have the opportunity to choose as the man gave a final choked gasp and went still, the blood still running heavily from his mouth and throat. Ghost watched as a white milky color began to film over the man's eyes and then he slowly turned and headed back to the safehouse.

"Basement clear." Scarecrow said as he and Roach came back up the stairs.

"All clear. Squad, regroup on me. Scarecrow, photographs." Ghost said pointing to a computer desk filled with photos and detailed plans of the airport attack. This was the proof they needed to end the war.

"Roger that." Scarecrow said as he moved to the desk.

"Shepherd, this is Ghost. No sign of Makarov, I repeat, no sign of Makarov," Ghost said into his headset, "Any luck in Afghanistan Tavish?"

"No sign of Makarov, perhaps our intel was off." Soap responded.

"Well, the quality of the intel's about to change. This safehouse is a bloody goldmine." Ghost said.

"Copy that. Ghost, have your team collect everything you can for an operations playbook. Names, contacts, places, everything." Shepherd said.

"We're already on it sir. Makarov will have nowhere to run." Ghost said as he slowly paced around the front door.

"That's the idea. I'm bringing up the extraction force , E.T.A. five minutes. Get that intel. Shepherd out."

Ghost pointed to the computer sitting on the desk by Scarecrow.

"Roach, get on Makarov's computer and start the transfer. Chemo, you're on rear security. I've got the front. Go."

Everyone spread out as Roach readied the DSM. Ghost walked into the front room and crouched in the corner by a window.

"Task Force, this is Price. More of Makarov's men just showed up at the boneyard... Soap, cover me. I'm gonna slot that guy over there and use his radio to listen to their comms. Ghost, we're going silent for a few minutes. Good luck up there in Russia. Price out."

"DSM is hooked up, download is starting." Roach said.

"Makarov's men are going to do whatever it takes to keep us from leaving with this intel. We need to protect the DSM until the transer's done. Use the weapons caches and set up your claymores if you've got any left. Defensive positions, let's go!" Ghost ordered as he readied himself at the window and gazed out for any signs of movement.

"Ready to engage." Chemo said.

"In position." Scarecrow stated.

Ghost turned and spotted Roach crouched by the door to his room.

"I got your back." Roach said.

Ghost smiled behind his mask and returned his attention to his window.

"Be advised, you have a large concentration of hostiles moving in from the southeast, they've just breached the perimeter! I'll try to thin 'em out before they get too close. Recommend you switch to scoped weapons, over."

Ghost reached for an ACOG scope and switched it with the red dot sight on his ACR.

"Roger that! Everyone cover the field to the southeast!" He ordered.

"I got eyes on! Here they come!" Chemo said.

Ghost rose and gazed through his scope. He spotted ten of them right off the bat, they were charging their way to the safehouse.

"Let's slow your arses down a bit…" Ghost whispered as he pulled the trigger and sent an onslaught of bullets at his enemies. They fell to the ground in effort to make themselves a smaller target, and some fell from multiple bullet holes from Ghost's ACR.

"RPG team moving in from the southwest!" Archer announced.

"We're about to be slammed! Hold your positions and keep an eye on the windows and doors!" Ghost advised.

"I have eyes on additional hostile forces moving in on your position. They're approaching from the solar panels east of the house." Archer said.

Ghost was moving from window to window, shooting anyone he spotted getting too close to the front door to the safehouse. One of his targets returned fir and Ghost was forced to duck down. He heard some of them make it inside the safehouse but Roach quickly disposed of them.

"Use your claymores if you have 'em. Plant 'em around the trail east of the house." Ghost said as he got back up and took down the man who had repressed him earlier.

"I'm displacing. You're gonna be without sniper support for thirty seconds, standby." Archer said.

"Ghost!" Chemo gasped over the comms, "Im hit!"

Ghost instantly turned and made his way out of the room and to Chemo's position.

"We gotta cover the front lawn!" Scarecrow said as he noticed Ghost had left his position.

"Roach, use your claymores on the driveway and pull back to the house!" Ghost ordered as he dropped down and crouched over Chemo. His comrade was bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds to his upper chest. He was panicking and coughing up blood. As soon as he laid eyes on Ghost, he frantically reached up and grabbed the Lieutenant's jacket.

"Shh, it's gonna be alright mate," Ghost said trying to calm him, "Just hang in there we're almost out of here."

Chemo wheezed and then went still, his eyes still staring up at Ghost.

"No, Chemo,no. Stay with me!" Ghost said shaking him gently. When he got no response he checked his friends pulse. Chemo was dead.

"The transfer's complete!" Roach called out.

Ghost closed his eyes and shook his head. How many men were they going to lose today? He quickly rose and ran back into the main room.

"Let's get the hell out of here now!" He yelled as he ran outside. Roach and Scarecrow rushed after him, shooting anyone they spotted on the front lawn.

"This is Shepherd. We're almost at the LZ. What's your status, over?"

"We're on our way!" Ghost replied as he ran.

Ghost ducked down as a RPG missile flew overhead.

"Keep pushing don't stop!" Ghost ordered as he continued to run forward.

"Scarecrow is down!" Roach cried out.

"They're bracketing our position with mortars, keep moving but watch your back! Roach, I got you covered! Go! Go! Get to the LZ! Keep moving!" Ghost yelled.

Ghost shot down every enemy he could see as Roach ran passed him. But his heart suddenly dropped as he watched an explosion from a mortar throw Roach to the ground.

"Roach!" Ghost yelled as he dashed out into the open and grabbed Roach's jacket and threw a smoke grenade.

"I've got you, Roach, hang on! Thunder Two-One, I've popped red smoke in the treeline! Standby to engage on my mark!"

Ghost heaved Roach threw the dirt with all his strength.

"Roger that. I have a visual on the red smoke. Standing by."

"Thunder Two-One, cleared hot!" Ghost said as they cleared the treeline.

"Roger that, cleared hot. Guns guns guns."

"Roach, hang in there!" Ghost yelled desperately as he felt his friend start to go limp. Ghost grabbed Roach's arm and heaved him up.

"Come on, get up! Get up! Get up! We're almost there!" Ghost said as he pulled Roach's arm over his shoulders to support him. Slowly he carried Roach to where Shepherd awaited.

"Do you have the DSM?" Shepherd asked as he reached out and grasped Roach's shoulder.

Soap, Price, Reaper, and Neon stepped out into the open as they recognized Sheperd's Shadow Company.

"Friendlies at your twelve, coming up." Soap said to them.

"That's them, take them out!" Soap heard one of them yell.

"What? No!" Soap cried out as he felt himself being pulled to the ground. Reaper and Neon both fell to the ground dead.

"Get up!" Price yelled as he heaved Soap up and they leaped behind a downed plane for cover.

"What the hell are they doing?" Soap cried out.

"What do you think Soap?" Price said as he fired back at the Shadow Company, "Seems Shepherd had other plans."

Ghost sighed in relief as he shielded his eyes from the dust being kicked up from the chopper's rotor blades.

"We got it, sir!" Ghost replied proudly.

"Good. That's one less loose end."

Ghost froze as he heard a loud gunshot. Confusion welled up as Roach fell limply from his grasp and Ghost reached out to catch him. That's when he spotted Shepherd holding the magnum. That's when realization clicked and that familiar overwhelming shock of betrayal set in.

"NO!" Ghost cried out as he lifted his ACR. That cry carried every bit of pain that he felt. The pain of once again, being turned on by someone he thought he could trust, the pain of being helpless to protect Roach like he had promised. Before Ghost could fill Shepherd's body with every bullet in his clip, the General raised his gun in Ghost's direction and blindly pulled the trigger. Ghost felt the bullet rip through him. He felt it rip threw his bullet proof vest and tear through his chest, then exit out his back. Ghost fell limply backwards into the dirt. He could feel the strength steadily draining from his body, and all he could do was watch through tear blurred vision, as Shepherd retrieved the DSM from Roach and motioned for two Shadow Company members to lift Roach from the ground before everything went black.

Roach gasped for breath as he was lifted and thrown into a ditch. Never in his life had he felt so much pain, nor was breathing ever this much of a challenge. He watched in horror as Ghost was lifted and tossed next to him.

"Ghost…" Roach gasped fearfully. He couldn't be gone, not like this. This wasn't supposed to happen. Roach wheezed as he tried to reach out to Ghost. Ghost was his source of comfort, without him, Roach felt lost to this overwhelming panic in his mind. Roach realized with dismay that he no longer had control of his limbs.

"Ghost! Come in, this is Price! We're under attack by Shepherd's men at the boneyard! Soap, hold the left flank! Do not trust Shepherd! I say again, do not trust Shepherd! Soap, get down!-" Price's voice echoed on the comms.

_Too late…_

He turned his frightened gaze to Shepherd as he felt a strong smelling liquid being poured over his body. Shepherd took another puff of his cigar then looked down at the two fallen men with pure contempt.

"No…" Archer gasped in shock from his hiding spot behind a nearby jeep. His shoulder was bleeding heavily from a gunshot wound. Shadow Company had spotted them and attempted to kill them both. Toad was dead, sniper shot to the head. Archer had moved suddenly and the shot had landed on his shoulder, but luckily none of Shepherd's men had come to their position to ensure their death. Now, he watched wide eyed in shock as Shepherd casually tossed his cigar onto Roach, and his body lit up in flames. The fire quickly spread to Ghost as well. Archer looked inside the jeep, he rummaged through some ammo cases and disposed weapons until he found what he was looking for. A fire extinguisher. At least there was a bit of luck. Archer was moving quickly as Shepherd boarded his chopper and it took off, quickly disappearing behind the treeline. Archer slid to a stop in front of the fire and smothered the flames with the foamy substance in the fire extinguisher. His heart was in his throat. This couldn't have just happened…

Ghost slowly opened his eyes and took a gasping breath.

"Easy. The bullet grazed your right lung, you have to stay still your losing a lot of blood."

_Archer…he made it._

Ghost shakily lifted himself to a sitting position, and nearly choked on a sob when he spotted Roach laying limply in the scorched grass. Using his arms, Ghost pulled himself to Roach's side and gently lifted his adopted brother's upper body into his arms. Their clothes were fireproof and had protected them from most of the damage from the flames, but the magnum gunshot to Roach's abdomen had literally blown a whole in his body. Tears welled up in Ghost's eyes as he looked away from the wound and focused on Roach's face which hadn't escaped fire damage. His face was blood covered and badly burned. Roused by the movement, Roach weakly opened his eyes. When he spotted Ghost, unmasked and looking down at him he managed a weak smile.

"Hey…" Roach whispered in a barely audible raspy voice.

Ghost swallowed the lump in his throat and returned the smile.

"Hey mate." He whispered softly.

Roach's smile faded when he noticed the blood stain on Ghost's chest.

"Your hurt…you need to get…get Doc to look at that." Roach said in a struggled gasp.

"I will, don't worry about me." Ghost replied softly fighting the emotional pain that threatened to conquer him.

"Did we make it?" Roach whispered even softer than before. Ghost lowered his head, the tears running down his face as he gasped a sob back down.

"Yea we made it," Ghost said as he lifted his head and smiled down at Roach, "Get some rest now…you deserve it."

Roach smiled and then cringed as he let out a painful cough. Blood was running from his mouth now.

"Thanks…for having my back Ghost…" Roach whispered as he closed his eyes. Ghost watched as the Sergeant let out a final shaky breath and then went still. Ghost pulled Roach's broken body closer to him and gave in to his emotions. He rested his forehead on Roach's head and let the tears fall freely from his eyes to mingle with the blood and sweat on Roach's face. Ghost gasped as the sobs ripped from his throat. Again he had lost someone. Again he had been betrayed.

"I'm sorry…" Ghost whispered to Roach, "I'm so sorry…"

The pain, the rage, the guilt. All of it ate at Ghost's beaten and broken heart. Archer watched at a distance. He noticed the blood stains on Ghost's back growing and could only expect that the blood stain on the front was growing as well. Ghost was bleeding to death.

Ghost gently placed Roach's body back on the ground and removed his dog tags. Ghost clenched them tightly in his hand and looked down at Roach, tears still running from his eyes.

"Ghost…we need to get you help." Archer said from behind.

Ghost slowly turned and looked at Archer, who flinched at the Lieutenant's cold blue eyes.

"He'll pay for this…" Ghost said with a fury in his voice, "I swear to God he'll pay…"

Archer swallowed and crouched beside Ghost. He placed a hand on the Lieutenant's shoulder and noticed he was shaking. He couldn't tell if it was from Ghost's emotional suffering, or the loss of blood. Ghost closed his eyes as the world seemed to spin around him. He was beginning to feel very weak.

"We'll get revenge on Shepherd. But right now we need to find a way to get in touch with Captain MacTavish and get you some medical care. Your headset is burned and mine was damaged when I fell, there had to be a radi—Ghost?" Archer stopped when he noticed Ghost slowly sinking to the ground. After the emotional shock, the extent of the damage done to his body was catching up to him. Archer grabbed Ghost's shoulders and lowered him to the ground.

"Ghost! Ghost, no! Stay with me!"

Black dots were beginning to form in the corners of his eyes and he could feel his heartbeat in his ears. Ghost realized his heart beat was slowing down and he sighed. He found himself not caring anymore. Shepherd had betrayed them. Soap and Price were probably dead as well. He had nothing left. Nothing to live for. Nothing but vengeance. That's all he ever lived for. The final piece of Ghost was gone, and his heart was empty. There was nothing left now. Nothing but darkness. And as Ghost slipped into unconsciousness he vowed to pull Shepherd and the Shadow Company into the darkness with him. He would destroy them all or breath his last breath trying.


	28. Chapter 28

"Roach? Ghost? Come in, Ghost. Do you copy? Does anyone copy?" Soap yelled desperately into his mic.

"They're dead, Soap. Shepherd's cleaning house." Price said gently.

"No…." Soap whispered, clenching his hand into a fist. They _couldn't_ be dead. Not Ghost. After everything he had been through he _had_ to be alive. It couldn't end this way. And Roach, he was still so young, there had to be a way he had managed to dodge death once again. There just had to.

"I'm sorry Soap," Price said, "But we have to keep moving. Makarov's men and Shadow Company are closing in from both sides."

"Shepherd betrayed us…" Soap said through gritted teeth as he fought the tears in his eyes.

"Have to trust someone to be betrayed. I never did."

Soap rested his face in his hands. He didn't know whether to grieve his fallen comrades or give into the rage that tore at his soul. So this is what Ghost felt when he was betrayed back in Mexico.

"If only I had been there…" Soap said softly to himself feeling the guilt begin to add to the torrent of emotions he was already experiencing.

"Hang in there Ghost." Archer grunted as he pulled the limp form of the Lieutenant back up the hill and towards the safehouse. There had to be a radio in there, and maybe he could get in touch with Nikolai. Ghost needed medical attention and fast. Archer knew the basics to slow the bleeding, but the bullet had hit Ghost's lung, and his lung would collapse in a matter of hours if he didn't get surgery. Archer felt his broken mic rub against his neck. Perhaps he would be able to get it working again but he doubted it. The impact of the bullet had caused him a hard fall, and the mic had taken a good smashing in the process. Archer tightened his grip on Ghost's jacket and continued to pull. The Lieutenant was heavy, and the fact the he was unconscious and unable to assist Archer made the process of getting him up the hill all the more difficult. Archer glanced down at his CO's face and grew worried when he realized Ghost was growing more and more pale from the continuous loss of blood. Archer stopped pulling him and reached down to his neck to check the pulse. It was weak, but it was there.

"Almost there mate, don't you dare leave me." Archer said.

He was about to continue his journey up the hill when he froze.

"Don't move!" A Russian voice called out from the surrounding trees.

A group of five men slowly surrounded Archer, their guns pointed steadily at him. Archer raised his hands to the air to show he posed no threat.

"These are the last of the men who attacked us. Let's finish them off." One of the men said angrily in his thick Russian accent.

A larger, calmer looking man, who Archer guessed was the one in charge, nodded over to the burnt grass where Roach's body lay.

"What happened over there?" He asked.

Archer swallowed and glanced down at Ghost. He wished the Lieutenant was awake and well. Ghost was good at talking his way out of tight spots. But right now he was on his own, and he had to himself and Ghost alive.

"We were betrayed by a man we thought we could trust." Archer answered.

"Why did you come here?"The man who had spoken first asked as he jammed his gun into the back of Archer's neck. The sniper narrowed his eyes angrily and remained silent.

"Come on Sergei. Let's finish these two bratchnies off." The same man spoke again.

"No. Bring them inside." Sergei said as he began to walk towards the safehouse.

"What? Our comrades are dead because of these men!"

Archer watched as Sergei whipped around angrily.

"Makarov gave us orders to ambush them when they came and destroy them all. Instead there are few of us left and valuable information has been stolen from us. We keep them alive, we have hostages and possibly even more valuable information for Makarov so that he doesn't skin us alive for our failure!"

"Then at least let me kill this one," the man said lowering his gun to Ghost's limp form, "he is nearly dead anyway."

"If there's a chance you will get_ any_ information, it'll be from him," Archer said quickly.

"And why is that?" the man sneered.

"He was in charge of this assault. He is our Lieutenant and he will know a lot more than I do. But he's hurt bad from a gunshot wound. He needs medical attention and fast."

Archer jumped nervously as the Russian began to laugh loudly. Sergei ignored him and made his way to Ghost. Archer watched as Sergei inspected the wound and seemed to think for a moment.

"You honestly believe we are going to help your friend?" The Russian said as he continued to laugh.

"Yakov." Sergei said as he beckoned one of his comrades over. Yakov was smaller than the rest, but his eyes had an angry glow to them. He looked like a person who would never be caught smiling. Archer watched the two men speak softly to one another in Russian as they looked over the wound. Sergei turned his eyes to Archer for a moment before looking back down at Ghost. The Russian behind Archer had just managed to stop laughing as he listened to Sergei and Yakov's conversation.

"You are not serious!" He said angrily.

"Silence Kirill," Serge hissed before glaring up at Archer.

"Once he has opened his eyes and is talking, we will begin the questioning. If we are not told _everything _we want to know…you and him both, are dead men."

_It's over… everything I've ever cared about is gone. What's the point in living if I'm only living for revenge? My life has been nothing but a vicious circle since I can remember. My father tore my family apart, and when I had just brought them back together and fixed the damages that had been done, we were only allowed to be happy for a matter of weeks before they were brutally taken from me. Taken from me all because I put my loyalties with the wrong person. And after months of me promising myself it wouldn't happen again, that I would protect the few I had left in my life, I failed again. Roach...Soap…I'm so sorry…I should have known it would happen, I should have reacted quicker…if I had, maybe you both would still be alive. But you're not…and I'm starting to give up hope. I don't know if I can keep doing this, I don't know if each painful breath I'm taking is worth the effort. The only reason I'm holding on right now is because Archer is alone, and I could see the raw fear in his eyes as I slipped away. It's my responsibility to make sure he survives, he's the last of the Task Force now. The last of my brothers. I can't leave him alone yet, I need to make sure he has a way out of here and that he's safe. Then, if there's any strength in me, I'll go after Shepherd…I'll make that son of a bitch pay… _

"Only Shepherd?" Roba asked in his thick Mexican accent.

Ghost opened his eyes and was met with an utter blackness surrounding him. The pain that had dominated his body was gone.

"I can't be dead….not yet." He whispered to himself.

"No. You're not done yet English." Roba said as he materialized out of the darkness.

"Why is it that out of everyone I know who is dead, you're the one that pops up?" Ghost asked.

"Because I don't want you to see anyone else." Roba said smiling.

"Vernon got by you pretty easily." Ghost mumbled.

"I let him. I knew you wouldn't listen to him, and I was right. Now everyone you know truly _is_ dead." Roba said as he began to laugh, "and you _knew_ it would happen but you ignored the warning! You could have stopped it!"

Ghost shut his eyes and tried to block out the words.

"Please…please leave me alone." He begged.

"No," Roba whispered in Ghost's ear, "I've been waiting for this moment. Waiting for the day where you would be mine."

Ghost opened his eyes to see Roba inches from his face. The skull painted on Roba's face mocking him. Ghost wanted to move away, but he couldn't. He felt as if he was bound to the spot by Roba's will. All he could do was watch as the drug lord reached out and firmly clasp right forearm. A sudden calm rage filled Ghost's body. It blocked out the pain, guilt and sadness. All he felt was a desire for revenge. A desire to kill. He felt strong, and he realized he liked it. Roba smiled.

"You like, eh English?" He asked, "I can help you. Keep you calm and focused. All you need to do is what I tell you."

"I won't kill for you." Ghost growled.

"Then do it for _you_. For your friends that you lost today. Kill them _all_ English. Make them pay for what they did."

Ghost closed his eyes and exhaled slowly as he let this new found feeling consume him. Roba smiled widely. He had won.


	29. Chapter 29

A few hours later…

Soap gazed silently out into the distance as Nikolai flew them to site Hotel Bravo. Soon he would be facing Shepherd, and he could make him pay for what he had done to his team. Everyone was dead, and it was because of _that _cold hearted murderer. Soap tightened his grip on the Intervention he was holding. The tense movement didn't go unnoticed by Price who was sitting across from him. Price gazed at his ex-subordinate noticing the hardened gaze in those blue eyes and the way his jaws seemed to be clenched tightly together. He knew what it was like to lose an entire team, and to lose a lieutenant who was more of a brother than a fellow soldier there to lend a hand. Price had noticed the undying loyalty that shone in Ghost's eyes whenever the lieutenant's attention was turned to Soap. It was hard to find good men like that. Price wanted to reach out and comfort Soap but he knew that's not what the Captain wanted or needed at the moment. As he watched Soap stare unblinkingly out across the large expanse of desert below them, he could tell that there was only one thing on the man's mind. Revenge.

Ghost groaned softly as he opened his eyes. His vision was blurred, and there was a distinct painful throbbing throughout his body that was timed with his heartbeat. After a few seconds of rapid blinking, his vision cleared and he instantly recognized the strange musty smell of the safehouse. Ghost let his eyes roam over the small room he was in. It was practically empty save for a small table nearby and the assortment of medical supplies and machines at his bedside. He winced when he spotted the needles and iv's stuck in his arms, but more so when he spotted the long six inch stitching along the right side of his chest. Ghost wanted to touch it, to check the tenderness but he gasped as he felt a sharp pain caused by moving his right arm. He turned his attention to the limb and realized it was wrapped in white gauze from his wrist to his elbow. Seems he had suffered quite an extent of damage. Ghost held his breath and attempted to sit up. He got a couple inches from the bed before falling back down. The motion caused more pain to issue from behind, on the exact opposite side of where the stitches were. _The bullet must have gone straight through me…_ There was a tightening around his neck and Ghost reached for his dog tags to turn them back to the front. He was confused for a moment when his left hand grabbed another pair along with his. Ghost turned them to the front and gazed at them.

_Sgt. Gary "Roach" Sanderson_

_542-74-0976_

_AB Positive _

Ghost closed his eyes as he clasped the tags tightly in his hand. After a moment, he released Roach's tags and allowed them to fall on his chest next to his own. Ghost wasn't entirely sure what was going on at the moment, but he knew he had to leave this place and go after Shepherd. Archer had to still be alive, otherwise Ghost wouldn't be alive right now. But where was he? Ghost shuffled as he heard footsteps approaching. He wasn't sure what to think when a medium height Russian man entered the room. His eyes were dark and he gave an evil looking sneer when he noticed that Ghost was conscious. Ghost felt a sudden pressure in his head and a raging heat fill his chest. _He's first…_

Ghost wasn't sure if it was his voice he heard in his head or Roba's, but regardless, he agreed. This man, whoever he was, would die by Ghost's hand. Ghost hated him before he could get a single word out.

"Well, well. Look who has finally waken up." The man said in his thickly accented voice as he approached Ghost's bedside.

"Who the hell are you?" Ghost grumbled in a raspy voice as he watched the man closely.

"Kirill," The man said as he flicked one of the iv's in Ghost's arm causing the Lieutenant to flinch in pain, "soon you will fear the sound of my name."

Ghost smirked as he tried to hold in his laughter. He didn't hold it in to keep Kirill from becoming angry but because a sudden burst of laughter would hurt like hell in his condition.

"You find something funny?" Kirill asked with a touch of venom in his voice.

Ghost merely raised his eyebrows and nodded slowly. In a flash Kirill was over him, one hand squeezing Ghost's throat while the other restrained Ghost's right arm. The humor in Ghost's eyes vanished and was replaced with- not fear as Kirill was expecting- but rage and hatred. Ghost held his breath to keep himself from gasping and, ignoring the pain, jerked his free arm up. The iv's ripped out of Ghost's flesh as he clenched his hand into a fist and sent a hard blow to Kirill's right eye. The Russian instantly released Ghost and stumbled backwards, clutching the right side of his face.

"Care to try again?" Ghost asked calmly.

Kirill lowered his hand to reveal an already blackening eye and a drop of blood running down his cheek. Ghost's knuckle had broken the skin above Kirill's eyebrow. Kirill released a raged yell and drew his knife, but before he could make a move, a taller Russian stepped into the room followed by three others with Archer in tow.

"Enough Kirill!" The taller man shouted out as he snatched the knife away.

"Look what he did to me Sergei!" Kirill protested.

"A strong blow." Sergei replied as he looked over the swelling blackened eye. He then turned his gaze to Ghost who evenly met his eyes. There was blood dripping from Ghost's arm where the needles were in, but everyone seemed to ignore it, everyone but Archer.

"Are you alright mate?" He asked Ghost softly.

Ghost turned his attention to his comrade and his eyes softened.

"I'm fine. Are you hurt?"

"Both of you shut up." Kirill said as he grabbed Archer's shoulder and roughly pulled him into a chair and held him there while another Russian tied his arms and legs. Ghost struggled to rise from his bed to come to Archer's aid, but he was too weak to do anything. Ghost felt a bloodlust rise in him as he watched Kirill pace around Archer, that snug evil sneer on his face.

_Bide your time English….then kill them all…._

"I am going to ask you some questions," Sergei said suddenly, "if you refuse to answer your friend will suffer."

"You lay a hand on him, and _you'll_ suffer." Ghost replied calmly.

Sergei only smiled in response as he crossed his arms.

"Let's begin."

Two hours later…

Every member of the Task Force had been trained to remain completely silent in the process of an interrogation. Archer knew these guys were desperate for information to redeem themselves, so if he and Ghost remained silent, they remained alive. Unfortunately, Archer was the one receiving the beating. He gasped as another punch was landed on his left cheek. The questions had been simple, where are you from, where is the 141 base located, where is the rest of the team located, stuff like that. Regardless of the simplicity of the questions, Ghost and Archer remained silent. Ghost however, was desperately struggling to somehow help his comrade. His body was so weak and injured he couldn't lift himself but that didn't stop him from trying. Ghost was damned if he was going to lay there and watch Archer take a beating. Through much struggling and effort, Ghost had managed to roll to his side and prop himself up with his elbow. Shaking, he contemplated his next move.

"I will break your silence, even if it means I have to break a few of your bones first!" Kirill yelled before he landed another blow to the side of Archer's head causing his neck to jerk violently to the side. Blood was spattered all over Archer's smashed face and that recent blow caused him to release a pitiful cry of pain. Archer was breaking, he had managed to hold his silence but the pain was becoming too much for him to handle. Kirill realized this and smiled wickedly before giving Archer another hit, this time in the stomach. He chuckled as Archer gasped in agony and tried to double over. Hearing Archer cry out sent waves of fury through Ghost, and with some unknown burst of strength, he leaped from his bed and tackled Yakov, who was standing only a couple feet from Ghost's bedside. The two fell to the ground and Yakov gave a startled cry before Ghost landed two hard blows to the small man's face. Ghost felt someone grab his shoulders and roughly pull him backwards. He let out a pained groan as the back of his head connected to the floor, dazing him. Sergei had Ghost by the throat and was choking him in an instant. Ghost gasped and desperately groped at the other man's arm in an effort to lighten the grip, but it did no good. Ghost was too weak to throw Sergei off of him or fight back in any way. He could see black starting to cloud his vision and his head felt like it was about to explode. Through the roaring in his ears he managed to hear Archer cry out.

"Stop! Let him go!"

Sergei's grip only tightened, and Ghost managed one last strangled gasp before his world went black.

When Ghost opened his eyes his room was very dark. He realized after a moment of confusion that he was bound to a ceiling beam. His wrists were tied tightly above his head by a thick rope tied to a beam above him, forcing him to stand. Ghost arms were burning like wildfire and he realized that he must have been tied up for a while with all of his weight being held by his bound wrists. His thoughts were confirmed when he spotted dark drops of blood running down his arms after his eyes had time to adjust to the darkness. It was a challenge trying to hold his head up, and Ghost groaned as he felt waves of agony run through his entire body.

"Your awake…" a voice said softly from a short distance away.

Ghost painfully lifted his head and spotted someone seated in a chair across from him.

"Archer…"Ghost said in a weak whisper.

"Don't worry, I'm gonna get us out of here. I'm working my way out of these bonds. Just hang in there." Archer replied.

"No problem there…" Ghost replied glancing up at his bound wrists. He let out a sigh and let his head drop. He couldn't help feeling amazed that he was still alive, he was sure he was done for when Sergei had choked him.

"There's a phone in the next room. Only problem is that bastard Kirill is asleep in there. But once I get myself freed I'll sneak in and grab it. Maybe I can get in touch with Nikolai so we can get the hell out of here." Archer whispered.

Ghost coughed and groaned when he tasted blood in his mouth. Maybe he _was_ dying. He felt so weak and helpless. Slowly, he let his eyelids shut and let out a shaky breath.

"Ghost?" Archer said softly.

There was no response. Archer hurried the process of freeing himself. They had tied him to a metal chair, and after much feeling around Archer had discovered a sharp edge on the side of the chair that he was now using to saw through the ropes around his wrists. It had taken him a lot of effort and time but with one last tug his wrists were freed. Archer quickly untied himself and hurried to Ghost's side. He felt his comrade's pulse and sighed in relief when he found it. Weak but steady. Archer wanted to untie Ghost and lie him down but he couldn't risk making the noise. With one last glance at the unconscious lieutenant, Archer turned and quietly made his way to the door. He pressed his ear to it and listened. No noise. With the upmost care, Archer turned the knob and slowly cracked the door open. He spotted Sergei and another Russian seated downstairs drinking what smelled to be some kind of coffee and intensely reading a Russian newspaper. Archer crept to Kirill's open bedroom door and nearly sighed in relief at the sight of the large Russian fast asleep, turned away from the cell phone lying on the table at his bedside. There could be no mistakes. This was it. If Archer failed to get this phone and call for help he and Ghost were as good as dead. This was his only chance to save them both and he couldn't mess it up. Walking as quietly as his body would allow, Archer approached Kirill's bedside and slowly reached for the phone. He held his breath as his alternated from the table to the sleeping form of his enemy a foot away. Archer froze in horror when Kirill suddenly shifted and turned to lay on his other side so that he was now facing the young Task Force member. Luckily, Kirill's eyes were still closed. With a quick jerk, Archer snatched the phone from the table and turned to leave. What he didn't realize, was that the phone was being charged, and by snatching it he had accidently unplugged it. The phone let out a loud beep as its power source suddenly disappeared and when Archer turned back around, startled, he was met with Kirill's dark eyes glaring back at him.


	30. Chapter 30

Lightning flashed illuminating the room with light, and thunder immediately clashed shaking the safehouse. Archer lunged and snatched the long knife Kirill had rested on the table nearby. Before the Russian could get a word out Archer was above him pressing the blade against his throat.

"Make a sound or move a muscle, and I'll slit your throat." Archer hissed in his ear.

Kirill only narrowed his eyes in response. Archer brought the phone up and flipped it open. Soap had them all remember Nikolai's number in case of an emergency. Archer hesitated, struggling to remember the digits. Slowly they came to him and he quickly punched them in and brought the phone to his ear. He kept his eyes on Kirill's face as the phone began to ring.

"You'll never get out of here alive." Kirill whispered.

Archer smiled gently and pressed the blade harder against Kirill's throat causing him to choke slightly. Blood appeared from the breaking skin and slid down his neck in small streaks. Archer blinked when he heard a click on the other line and then a man speaking quickly in Russian.

"Nikolai?"

The voice ceased for a moment.

"Who is this?"

"It's Archer, from the 141, Shepherd betrayed us and left us for dead, please we need help! Coordinates are ni-"

Archer was cut off as Kirill grabbed the arm holding the knife steady and shoved him backwards. Now that the blade was gone Kirill was free to speak and he instantly yelled in Russian for his comrades downstairs. His heart pounding, Archer lashed out with the knife but didn't realize how weak and tired he was until Kirill roughly grabbed his wrist and twisted it causing him to drop the weapon. Without using much of his strength, the Russian pulled Archer towards him and slammed him hard into the small table by his bed. Archer crumpled to the floor, sparks of pain clouding his vision and impairing his ability to think or move. The phone was lying nearby and Archer could hear Nikolai calling out to him but Kirill quickly picked up the phone and snapped it shut before turning it off so that the phone couldn't be traced. Loud footsteps could be heard running up the stairs and Kirill kneeled next to Archer, bringing his mouth close to the sniper's ear.

"You've had your fun. Now it's my turn." He whispered.

Some time later…

_Wake up English._

Ghost was roused by loud noises from the next room. He slowly opened his eyes and groaned in protest when the pain came rushing back. He couldn't keep living like this, so far his life was nothing but emotional- and now extreme physical- pain. Ghost let out a slow shaky breath and lazily blinked waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. A flash of lightning caused him to jump slightly, another flash right after it lit up the room and Ghost noticed Archer's chair was empty. Did he escape? Where was he? Ghost tugged at his wrist bonds but couldn't suppress a groan of pain as the ropes cut deeper into his flesh. There was a loud bang in the room next to his and Ghost froze, straining his ears to hear some kind of hint as to what was going on. There were yells of Russian then laughter blended with a familiar cry of pain.

"Archer!" Ghost cried as he again struggled with his bonds.

The noises stopped and the Lieutenant could hear the distinct sound of footsteps approaching his room. Ghost swallowed nervously as Kirill kicked his door open and approached him with a rather aggressive expression on his face.

"Where is he?" Ghost asked through clenched teeth.

"Your friend is as good as dead."

"_You're_ as good as dead."

Kirill smiled.

"We are slowly beating him to death with our bare hands. It shouldn't be long now until his body gives out. He's passed out a few times but we've managed to rouse him back awake with a few….shocks."

Ghost wanted to lunge forward and rip this guy's head off, but he remained silent, not wanting the Russian to get the best of him.

"As for you," Kirill continued as he drew his long knife, "we'll take it _nice_ and _slow._"

Ghost couldn't help but flinch when the edge of the cold blade gently ran across his bare chest. Kirill smiled wickedly as he slid the blade in strange patterns across Ghost's torso before finally driving the blade deep into Ghost's uninjured shoulder. The wounded Lieutenant couldn't bite back the scream of agony as Kirill twisted the blade deeper into the wound.

"Did you know there are several places on a body that can be stabbed and shot, yet cause minimum damage?" The Russian asked as he jerked the blade from his victim's shoulder. Ghost gasped for breath as he gazed down at the bloody hole in his shoulder. Pain was swarming his mind and soul, it was spreading throughout his entire body and dominating everything he knew. Ghost hardly felt the blade slash across his chest leaving a deep gash that instantly began leaking blood. Weak from blood loss, he felt his head drop limply and nearly touch his chest. He couldn't lift it, not even to glare at Kirill when the man said something about enjoying what he was doing. Ghost shivered when he felt the blade touch his skin again below his ribs. He was about to be stabbed again and he clenched his jaws tightly in preparation for the pain that was sure to come. Instead a loud voice caused Kirill to freeze.

"Enough! Stop!"

Kirill whipped around holding his blade in tense preparation for attack. Sergei paused when he noticed the fierceness in his comrade's eyes.

"Why do you keep trying to spare them Sergei? They won't talk, you know that!" Kirill said angrily.

_Archer must still be alive then… _Ghost thought as he tried to lift his head to get a glimpse of the two Russians. He felt a pair of eyes on him and then Sergei began speaking in Russian, the only word Ghost caught was Makarov. He must be keeping them alive to send to Makarov. Ghost coughed and grimaced when he tasted the heavy metallic tang of blood in his mouth.

"It's because of them, that we are in this mess!" Kirill backfired, not bothering to conceal their discussion in Russian. Ghost moaned when he felt Kirill's presence draw closer to him.

"I said no Kirill!" Sergei said angrily.

"Try and stop me!" Kirill hissed as he raised his knife.

_So this is how it's going to end? Stabbed to death while hanging from a ceiling beam?_

Ghost gasped when he heard a loud gunshot followed by a scream of pain. He half expected to see Sergei, annoyed from being disobeyed, holding a gun in Kirill's direction but what he managed to see through his blurred vision stunned him beyond belief. In the doorway stood Soap, pistol drawn. Sergei's body lay at his feet while Kirill desperately crawled on the ground, a streak of blood following him. In the room next door there were more gunshots and yells. Confusion welled up in Ghost's mind as he watched his Captain walk over to him, delivering a kick to Kirill's face that sent him unconscious before turning his attention to the wounded Lieutenant. Ghost was trying so hard to lift his head higher to get a good look at his savior, but he was too weak. Instead he felt Soap's gloved hand gently lift his chin so that they were looking eye to eye.

"Hold on mate, you'll be out of here soon." Soap said softly.

"Tavish…" Ghost whispered, "Am I…dead?"

"By the looks of it almost," Soap said as he smiled gently, "don't talk and save your strength. I'll have you down in a bit."

Ghost could only gaze at Soap's torso as the older man reached up and began sawing through the thick ropes holding the lieutenant's wrists. The feeling of the blood rushing back into his arms was enough to make Ghost scream but he swallowed it as he felt Soap's arms wrap around him and slowly lower him to the ground.

Soap's heart was burning with fury, but more so with fear and sadness as he gazed upon the bloody form of his right hand man. His chest was throbbing from pain from the stab wound he had received in his fight with Shephard but he had pushed that aside when Nikolai had told them about the phone call he had received. Luckily they had been headed to the safehouse anyway, Soap, believing that his entire team had been killed, had refused to get medical help until he had attended to the bodies of his men. Ghost groaned and gave a shuddering cough which caused blood to appear at the corner of his mouth. His deep blue eyes were clouded with pain as he gazed up at his Captain. Soap felt a wave of panic wash over him and he reached for the sheet on the bed Ghost had been laying in earlier. He ripped a large portion of the sheet off and wiped the blood from Ghost's mouth before placing it on the stab wound and applying pressure. Ghost's face creased in agony and he quickly shut his eyes. Soap placed a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder and gazed up when a shadow appeared in the doorway.

"We have to get going. Nikolai is getting Archer to the chopper…" Price said before pausing at the sight of Soap leaning over Ghost.

"How bad is he?" Price asked as he approached.

"Pretty bad. He's been shot in the chest but for whatever reason, they fixed that up. But he's losing a lot of blood from these knife wounds. We need to get him to safety and soon." Soap replied not taking his eyes off the lieutenant.

"Let's get him to the chopper then." Price said as he reached down and pulled Ghost's injured arm over his shoulders. Soap did the same to Ghost's other arm and they slowly lifted him off the ground. Ghost didn't respond to the movement. He had lost consciousness once again. Soap gazed down at the limp form of Kirill lying nearby.

"We have to come back for him. He's the last one alive and he may be useful." Soap said.

Price merely nodded in response as they made their way to the door.

It was four days before Ghost found the strength to open his eyes, and when he did he wasn't sure if the whole safehouse incident was a dream or reality. He only realized it was true when his eyes landed on Soap, who was seated next to his bed, monitoring his progress.

'Welcome back." Soap said as he gave his friend a small smile.

Ghost returned the smile and slowly raised his uninjured arm. Soap's smile widened and he clasped his Lieutenant's hand warmly.

"It's good to see you finally awake." The captain said.

"It's just good to see _you,_" Ghost replied in a raspy voice, "I was so sure you…didn't make it."

Soap nodded and lowered Ghost's arm back to the bed. He ran his eyes over the younger man's patched up wounds and sighed.

"Me and Price survived…the rest didn't. They were killed right in front of me by Shepherd's men. They didn't stand a chance."

"He killed Roach," Ghost said through clenched teeth, "I'll make him wish he'd finished me."

"He's dead." Soap said flatly.

"You killed him?" Ghost asked unable to hide the disappointment in his voice.

Soap nodded slowly and pointed at his combat knife.

"Got him through the eye."

Ghost smirked gently in response before reaching up and clasping his and Roach's dogtags.

"There's still work to be done. I'm not gonna let anyone who was involved get away with it."

"You can't kill the entire Shadow Company Ghost. That would be suicide. We need to focus on clearing our names and getting this mess sorted out."

"That won't happen. It's your word against the entire Shadow Company, who do you think the government will believe? It's over Soap, we're on our own."

"You can't let your hunger for revenge take over Ghost. I know what you're feeling, but going on a slaughter fest won't get us anywhere closer to freedom."

"_Freedom_…" Ghost scoffed as he rolled his eyes.

Soap narrowed his eyes. There was something different about Ghost. Something…darker about his personality.

"Where's Archer?" Ghost asked suddenly.

"He's doing better, walking even. He took a heavy beating that left his face pretty swollen and has a few broken ribs, but he'll be fine."

Ghost nodded and then realized Soap was leaning slightly to the left in his chair.

"What about you?" he asked softly.

"Shepherd gave me a nasty stab wound but I'll be alright." Soap responded.

Suddenly he nodded to the door.

"We have one of the Russians that was holding you captive tied up in the main room. Working on getting some information from him."

Ghost felt a storm of anger brew in his head.

"The one that was carving me up?" he asked.

Soap nodded and Ghost instantly tried to rise. The Captain quickly placed a firm hand on his friend's chest to hold him in place.

"You need to stay in bed and rest. You'll have your time with him but only once your better." Soap said in a commanding tone.

Ghost complied and relaxed himself back into his bed but remained silent, his eyes distant and his jaw clenched.

"I'll be back to check on you later. For now I want you to get some sleep." Soap said in a gentler tone as he rose from his seat.

Ghost simply nodded in response. With that, Soap turned and headed out of the room, shutting the door gently behind him. Ghost waited until the sound of Soap's footsteps disappeared before he again attempted to sit up. After much grunting and painful squirming he was seated on the edge of his bed. The Lieutenant closed his eyes in an effort to will the spinning in his head to cease.

_Go get him English_

Ghost pushed himself from the bed, ignoring the pain that shot though his burned arm, and swayed until he found his balance on his feet. He scanned the room, his eyes searching for anything that could be used as a weapon. There was only one thing on his mind right now, and it was becoming more violent with each passing second. Ghost slowly made his way to the door and opened it. Archer was seated alone at a table in what appeared to be the kitchen, Kirill was tied to a chair in the corner of the living room. Ghost realized they were taking refuge in a small house, but where they were didn't matter so much to him at the moment. His eyes glinted when he spotted an assortment of kitchen knives sitting neatly inside of a holder beside the kitchen sink. Archer was reading a magazine of some sort and Soap and Price were nowhere to be seen. Taking his chance, Ghost stalked forward. Archer looked up and smiled when he spotted the Lieutenant. His face was bruised and cut up pretty bad.

"Ghost! I can't believe your already up! Shouldn't you be resting though, you lost a lot of blo—Ghost?" He paused when he watched his CO grasp the largest knife in the holder and pulled it free. Ghost's blue eyes glowed as he looked the sharp blade over before turning and making his way to Kirill who watched him approach with wide eyes.

'Ghost no! Stop!" Archer yelled as he struggled to rise, grimacing att the sharp pain from his broken ribs.

But the Lieutenant wasn't listening, he was enjoying the gift of the calm rage that flowed through his body as Roba coaxed him onwards.

_Kill him English. Make him pay._

Archer could only watch, horrified, as Ghost slashed Kirill's throat wide open in one quick movement. The Russian's eyes went wide with terror as he choked and gagged on his own blood. Unsatisfied with the job, Ghost walked behind his enemy and hooked his fingers under Kirill's chin. He gave the Russian a final smirk before he jerked the man's head backwards with such force and ferocity that he nearly ripped the head from the rest of the man's body. Blood squirted and streamed from the gruesome slice covering the floor in seconds with a deep scarlet red. Soap had just walked into the house when he froze at the sight. He stumbled and nearly gagged at the sight.

"Christ…" The Captain gasped as he looked up at Ghost, "What...have you done?"

Ghost calmly looked down at the blood dripping from his hand before turning his gaze from Archer to Soap.

"It's only just begun." He replied in a voice that sounded foreign to his comrades.

Archer and Soap could only gaze in shock as Ghost smiled slightly. He was listening to Roba's laughter deep inside his soul.

**Im sure you guys have a lot of questions. Will Ghost conquer his inner demons or become a killing machine? Will the remaining Task Force members be able to fix what Shepherd has done? What about Makarov? Everything will come to a conclusion in the sequel so thanks for reading and for all the support! XD**


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